Tiger Woods Car accident and DUI arrest in March may end up as the biggest golf story of the year. It also upset what would otherwise have been golf’s most notable event of 2026: Tiger Woods’ return to the Masters.
Woods, who at that point had recovered from his latest operation, appeared ready to play his first professional tournament in nearly two years. Then came his arrest, followed by a stint in treatment and his eventual affair.
But with his legal troubles out of the way, Woods began making public appearances. In at least one of these cases, he was filmed hitting the balls and looking healthy.
So when will Tiger make his long-awaited return to pro golf?
We had a window into an answer this week from a pro golf insider: PGA Tour pro and NBC analyst Kevin Kisner. On the most recent episode of Barstool’s Fore Play PodcastKisner revealed that his time on Tiger’s TGL team is over, that Tiger has taken his place on the team and that he thinks the 15-time major champion will return to competition before the year is over.
Kevin Kisner kicked out of the TGL team to make way for Tiger
Kisner is the current lead analyst for NBC Golf, directing the network’s PGA Tour and major tournament coverage. But at only 42 years old, he is still involved with the professional game.
Just five years ago, Kisner captured his fourth PGA Tour victory at the 2021 Wyndham Championship. He then played on the winning team at the 2022 US Presidents Cup.
Most recently, Kisner played on Woods’ Jupiter Links TGL team for the league’s first two seasons. In an infamous moment, Kisner kicked Sand into the steps, causing Tiger to fall to the ground laughing..
Kisner’s most indelible moment was one of the worst hits in TGL history did not bode well for his future in the team.
And on the Fore Play podcast, he confirmed that his time with Jupiter Links is over. The reason he provided was more interesting: to make way for Tiger Woods to play a full season for the TGL team.
“Well, obviously I’m not on the team anymore,” Kisner said on Fore Play. “I had a two-year contract with Jupiter Links. Tiger wants to play, and then they signed Keith Mitchell, which is completely fine with me.”
However, Tiger did not break the news to Kisner himself. Instead, longtime Tiger manager Rob McNamara texted Kisner to let him know he had been kicked from the team.
“Rob (McNamara), Tiger’s guy, wrote me a long text last week, I think, just saying what they did about their decisions, how they moved and what the players had to do and that Tiger wanted to play a full schedule,” Kisner revealed.
Kisner predicts Tiger Woods will return to pro golf in December
Woods playing a full season on TGL would be great news. However, his participation next season, which will begin in early 2027, would be more notable for what it means for his professional career.
If Woods is healthy enough to compete regularly in TGL, this could mean he is healthy enough to compete in pro tournaments in 2027.
But on the Fore Play podcast, Kisner predicted that Woods would make his pro return at first 2027.
Specifically, Kisner thinks Woods will return first at the 2026 Hero World Challenge and the 2026 PNC Championship, both of which are scheduled for December.
“Yeah, I think he’s playing (the Hero World Challenge) and PNC Father Son. I think he’s going to play both,” Kisner said. “I mean, we can’t have any more injuries. But the way he was swinging and moving on the range, I mean, the guy likes to compete. Come back, get your feet wet at Hero, play with Charlie in Father Son, play a little TGL, get ready for Augusta.”
If healthy, the Hero World Challenge would be the most obvious place for Woods to return for several reasons.
Woods hosts the tournament, and features a limited field of the best players he knows. It’s a low-stress environment, played on a low-stress golf course and rarely features many fans on site. He also made several comebacks from injury to the Hero earlier in his career.
When the initial Hero World Challenge field list was released last week, presented three vacancies for players to be called in the future.
The PNC Championship, on the other hand, offered Tiger a chance to play alongside his son Charlie Woodswho has a burgeoning golf career of his own. Woods seems to be looking forward to the event, which he has played five times.
The Hero World Challenge begins on December 3rd, followed by the PNC Championship on December 17th.