Ever since Tiger Woods’ latest surgery threw his return to pro golf into doubt, any sighting of the 15-time major champion is news. On Saturday, Woods was spotted for one of the first times since his latest operation.
While Woods’ appearance happened on a golf course alongside his son Charlie Woods, it was not the PNC Championship, where the two have competed together live on TV for several years.
Instead, it was Charlie’s high school state championship, where the younger Woods matched the lowest score of the final round to help his team to the title.
Here’s what you need to know.
Charlie Woods’ team wins states with Tiger looking on
Woods, 16, is a junior at the Benjamin school in Palm Beach and a rising star in junior golf.
Benjamin won the state championship title when Charlie was a freshman. This past year, Woods won the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational. He ranks fourth among his class in the AJGA rankings, and ninth overall.
On Friday and Saturday, Benjamin played in the finals of the 2025 Class 1A state championships, and Woods fired a two-under 68 in the final round to lead his team to a five-shot victory over Orlando’s First Academy.
Charlie’s 68 matched the lowest score of the round, and he finished fourth in the individual tournament.
Palm Beach Post photographers spotted Tiger and Charlie’s mom Elin Nordegren as they watched Charlie’s final round Saturday at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
Coach told Elin Nordegren he dreamed Charlie Woods would shoot 68
Charlie Woods’ head coach at Benjamin, Toby Harbeck, shared a strange anecdote following his team’s victory.
Amid the celebrations at Mission Inn, Harbeck revealed to the Palm Beach Post that he dreamt Charlie would have a great final round.
Not only that, but he also claimed he ran into Nordegren, Charlie’s mom, in the hotel early that morning and told her about the dream.
“I had a dream. I walked out of the hotel this morning at 20 minutes till 7:00, and Elin [Nordegren] was standing by the bus. I looked at her and I said, ‘I had a dream last night about Charlie playing today. It’s either going to be 68 or 67,’ and she looked at me and said, ‘I hope so, Coach.’ And I said, ‘I’m telling you, it’s going to happen,’” Harbeck told the Palm Beach Post.
Harbeck ended up right on the number.
Tiger Woods’ potential return, health status
On October 11, Woods announced that he’d undergone disc-replacement surgery, the latest in a long series of operations on his back.
Woods was last seen competing on TV during the inaugural TGL season in early 2025. But in March, Tiger announced he’d ruptured his left Achilles tendon. As a result, he missed the entire 2025 PGA Tour season.
In 2024, Woods appeared in only five events, withdrawing or missing the cut in all but the Masters, where he finished 60th.
Woods was first seen in public following his latest surgery in early November, when he participated in a Bridgestone golf video shoot.
Tiger has not revealed when he plans to resume his pro golf career, nor has he provided a timetable for his return to action. Woods routinely plays the PNC Championship alongside Charlie in December, with the pair losing last year’s event in a playoff.
The 2025 PNC Championship takes place December 18-21 this year, so if Woods has fully healed by then, he could return there.
It’s far less likely that he chooses to make his first start two weeks earlier at the 2025 Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, a tournament that he hosts.
The next possible return date to pencil is January 13, 2026. That’s the day the 2026 TGL season begins, and Woods has said on Twitter that he will “be there for every match.”
Whether that means Tiger will be playing or just watching the action remains to be seen.
Two potential dates for Tiger’s return are further down the schedule: the 2026 Genesis Invitational, which he hosts, on February 19-22, and the 2026 Masters, which runs April 9-12.
This article originated on Golf.com
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