Tiger Woods made a much-anticipated return to the golf course on Tuesday night, candidly admitting that his “body took a beating” during the event. The 50-year-old golf legend expressed this sentiment after participating in the tournament.
Woods, a 15-time major winner, was accompanied by his girlfriend Vanessa Trump and her daughter Kai as they watched his team, Jupiter Links GC, compete in the TGL finals. Unfortunately, the team did not clinch the title in the league’s second season.
With The Masters looming, Woods’ return to competitive play highlighted his ongoing efforts to prepare for Augusta National, a tournament he hopes to compete in despite physical challenges.
In the second match of the TGL finals, Jupiter Links GC faced a tough defeat against Los Angeles Golf Club at the SoFi Center in Florida. Woods, along with teammates Tom Kim and Max Homa, were defeated 9-2 by Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala, and Tommy Fleetwood.
“We got our butts kicked at the end,” Woods remarked, acknowledging his disappointment after missing a short putt and struggling to conceal his frustration. Despite the setback, he appreciated the camaraderie, saying, “It was great to be back on the course with these guys.”
Reflecting on his return, Woods added, “It’s good to be back, though the outcome wasn’t ideal. That’s the nature of sports—you win some, you lose some, and you just have to handle it.”
Tiger Woods made his much-anticipated return to golf for Jupiter Links on Tuesday night
But the 15-time major champion admitted he ‘got his a** kicked’ in the finals of TGL
The golf legend’s girlfriend Vanessa Trump (pictured here on Monday) was among the crowd
Woods later addressed The Masters. He would not confirm whether or not he will play at Augusta, insisting only: ‘I’ve been trying. It’s just this body doesn’t recover like when I was 24, 25. It doesn’t mean I’m not trying – I’ve been trying for a while.
‘I’ve had a couple of back injuries the past year that I’ve had to fight through and it’s taken some time. But I keep trying.
‘I want to play, I’ve loved the tournament, I’ve loved being there since I was 19 years old. So it’s meant a lot to me and my family over the years and I’m going to be there either way.’
When asked if he will leave it until the days leading up to the first round to decide, Woods added: ‘I don’t know, we’ll see how it goes. I’ll be practicing playing at home this week and keep trying to make progress.’
Vanessa Trump – the former daughter-in-law of Donald Trump – was in the crowd at alongside the president’s teenage granddaughter, Kai. Serena Williams – who co-owns the LA team with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, their daughter, Olympia, and sister, Venus – was also in the stands.
Woods has not played in a PGA Tour event since the 2024 Open Championship. He then underwent yet another back surgery before playing in TGL in early 2025. But Woods’ hopes of a comeback were dashed when he tore his Achilles.
That sidelined the 15-time major champion for the rest of 2025. Woods then had disk replacement surgery in October.
He has teased a return at next month’s Masters at Augusta National and Tuesday’s TGL match represented a huge step forward for the golf legend.
His life off the course has also come under the spotlight in recent months after reports emerged that Vanessa feels ‘insecure’ about their romance.
The golfer and Trump, 48, the ex-wife Donald Trump Jr., went public with their relationship last March, and were recently spotted cozying up to one another at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in greater Los Angeles.
Tennis icon Serena Williams – a co-owner of Los Angeles Golf Club – was also in the stands
However, reports claim Woods, who split from his ex-wife Elin Nordegren 2010 amid cheating allegations, reportedly feels stifled in his relationship with Trump.
‘She’s insecure when it comes to him and other women,’ a source told the National Enquirer. ‘So Vanessa follows Tiger everywhere and checks up on him and what he’s up to through mutual friends when they’re not together.’
‘Tiger’s feeling henpecked and stifled,’ they added. ‘He wants Vanessa to trust him and not judge him on prior behavior. But the more serious they get, the more fearful she becomes that Tiger will slide into bad habits and self-sabotage.’
Trump has been by Woods’ side at a number of high-profile appearances over the past few months, including the 15-time major winner’s lavish 50th birthday bash in January.
