The return of Tiger Woods this Thursday to the Bahamas, announced for weeks, will finally be postponed. Tiger had to retire due to foot pain.

Tiger Woods - © prev news - via Flickr

Tiger Woods - © prev news - via Flickr

Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the 2022 Hero World Challenge after injuring his foot while preparing for the tournament he is hosting at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

In a post on his social media, Woods said :

“While preparing and training for this week's Hero World Challenge, I developed plantar fasciitis in my right foot which makes walking difficult. After consulting with my doctors and coaches, I have decided to retire this week and focus on my hosting duties. My plan is to continue to participate in The Match and the PNC championship.

After Woods withdraws from the Hero WorldChallenge, he is replaced by Sepp Straka in the group of 20 selected players. The last time Woods had a competitive round was in July, when he missed the cut at the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews. Rory McIlroy revealed in an interview with Paul Kimesi this week that he and Woods had COVID-19 before the major championship, which could have been Woods' last at the Home of Golf.

Since 2000, Woods has hosted various big name tournaments over the years. In 2021, the number of players has increased from 18 to 20 and the funds raised from the event are for the benefit of its foundation. Woods has won the Hero WorldChallenge five times

The winner of this week's $3,5 million tournament will walk away with $XNUMX million for their victory. Players are guaranteed to receive a six-figure salary for their participation in the tournament.

Woods isn't in the tournament this week, but December should be a busy month for the Tiger. Next week, he will team up with Rory McIlroy to take on Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in The Match at Pelican Golf Club in Florida. Two weeks later, Woods will compete in the PNC Championship in Orlando with his 13-year-old son, Charlie. The father-son duo finished second last year behind the Dalys.

Tiger Woods said of his future:

" I like this sport. I have practiced it for almost all my life. I've been pro for more than half of my life. Next year the goal is to play only the Majors and maybe one or two more tournaments. That's all. Physically, that's all I can do. I also told you at the start of the year that I don't have much left in my leg (which suffered multiple fractures in its terrible car accident in February 2021), but I also want to give myself a chance to come back… This year, I didn't expect to take part in three Majors. I was only thinking of playing the British Open but I managed to play two more. That was a big positive! So I'm going to prepare for the Majors and hopefully I'll be in the running for a chance to win. »

Tiger also came back during this interview about the war between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. : “At the moment these two organizations cannot coexist. Not with their leadership, not with Greg (Norman) and his animosity towards the (PGA) Tour itself. Greg has to go and then we can hopefully find a solution between the two trials. I don't know what their end goal is. It could be just being an official member of the golf ecosystem and being recognized with world ranking points. They probably spent close to $2 billion this year. Who says they can't spend $4 billion or $5 billion next year?

At the start of the month, world number one Rory Mcilroy also spoke out by inviting his leader Greg Norman to leave his post, saying that the golf circuits needed "an adult in the room".

Since its launch earlier this year, LIV Golf has attracted some of the best players from the U.S.-based PGA TOUR, prompting the PGA TOUR to suspend 'rebels'. The LIV sued the PGA Tour accusing it of antitrust violations, and the PGA Tour filed a counterclaim. Australian Norman said in September he was no longer willing to negotiate as the US Tour was trying to "destroy" LIV Golf.

To read our latest article on Tiger Woods 

The match: Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy vs. Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas