Jack Nicklaus believes Tiger Woods still has a lot of great golf left in him, and the Golden Bear said he thinks Woods will be dominant in his 50s.
After participating once again as an honorary starter at the Masters on Thursday, Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Player spoke with the media on a variety of subjects. In answering a question about Phil Mickelson's longevity in the tournament compared to Woods, Nicklaus took the opportunity to predict that Woods will not only play senior golf but dominate it in the way he did the PGA Tour.
"Tiger is hurt. I think Tiger will get well and Tiger will be back and play," Nicklaus said. "Tiger will be 50 next year. I believe he'll probably play the Senior Tour and I believe he'll probably dominate the Senior Tour. Tiger is too much of a competitor to not play. I don't believe he will not play. I believe he will play.
"I don't think Tiger will play for money. He doesn't need money. Tiger will play for competition. He loves competition, and he's very good at it, obviously."
Join Golf News Net for $10 per year, and go ad-free!Woods isn't competing in the 2025 Masters after having surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles that he suffered while preparing to return to competitive golf. He's expected to miss the remainder of 2025. He turns 50 on December 30, making him eligible for senior events and the PGA Tour Champions.
There has long been speculation as to whether Woods would one day compete in PGA Tour Champions events. Woods has said over the years that's unlikely. However, Woods' friends and peers from the earlier days of his PGA Tour career are now on the PGA Tour Champions, and several have speculated that he'll play a limited schedule in the interest of remaining competitive and playing again with friendly and familiar faces.
Woods clearly has an interest in remaining competitively relevant. He still wants to play in the major championships, and he played in the TGL season for the first year of the indoor hybrid golf league.
Even if Woods doesn't play a full-time PGA Tour Champions schedule, he could entertain playing in any of the five PGA Tour Champions majors, including the US Senior Open, the Senior PGA Championship, the Senior Open Championship, the Regions Tradition or the Kaulig Companies Championship (once known as the Senior Players Championship).
