Tiger Woods will return to the golf club competitively on Tuesday night, and it couldn’t be a better time for his Jupiter Links TGL team.
Woods told ESPN he will play in Match 2 of the best-of-three TGL final (7 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN app), a decision he publicized after Jupiter Links lost 6-5 to Los Angeles in the opening match Monday night in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Woods is the leader of the Jupiter team but has sat out the entire season recovering from back surgery in October. Jupiter was using Akshay Bhatia As an alternative, however, Bhatia is on the European Tour this week playing the Hero Indian Open in New Delhi.
Jupiter used against LA on Monday tom kim, kevin kisner And max homa. Kisner, who was in the NBC broadcast booth during the Florida swing on the PGA Tour, was in the lineup for only the second time since February 2.
Woods’ team, which reached the TGL playoffs, could have gone 1–0 in the finals, but Sahith Thigala — who had struggled all night — found the fairway on the 15th and final hole, setting up a two-putt birdie to turn the match and give Los Angeles the win.
Thegala twice put tee shots out of play, and he hit another drive into the bunker that prevented LA from reaching the green in two on the par 5. He also missed a 3-foot putt, costing his team a point. But he got injured after hitting a winner.
Jupiter led 5–4 by the par-5 closing hole, and LA threw the hammer, meaning the hole was worth two points. Theegala hit a second shot from 35 feet, smashing his drive into the fairway. Kisner’s tee shot just hit the rough, he found the rough on his second shot, and missed a wedge off the green. His birdie chip from 20 feet narrowly missed the lead to tie the hole and win the match.
Jupiter took a 3-2 lead after all three players alternated shots through nine holes.
LA won the first two holes of singles to take the lead, with Kisner beating driver at No. 12 after Thegala went into danger. Due to which the match was tied at 4.
Jupiter again took the lead 5-4 justin rose Three-putted from long distance. Kim hit her tee shot from 3 to 6 feet and Jupiter threw the hammer. LA accepted, meaning that if he lost the hole he would lose the match. tommy fleetwood Responded with a tee shot to 4 feet for matching birdies.
That sent it to the 15th and final hole, and Thegala’s length – and accuracy – were the difference.
If the Jupiters were to win Match 2 on Tuesday night, Match 3 would immediately follow at the SoFi Centre.
Woods, 50, had lumbar disc replacement surgery in October. He also ruptured his left Achilles last March.
The 15-time major winner has not played in an event since the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 2024.
He has been tight-lipped on his condition for next month’s Masters, saying last week: “I said I’m working on it. Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. Disc replacement is not very fun.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
