Tiger Woods Hints at PGA Tour Schedule Change at Riviera

There was a time when it felt like Tiger Woods’ press conferences needed to be studied like he was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Any sentence he uttered felt like it had the power to move markets. Woods has always spoken in a series of bland generalities, so whenever he offered a hint of something real, it had to be treated as news, as something deserving of its own headline.

That era has faded, at least for the most part. His pressers no longer drive the narrative in golf the way they once did. At the Genesis Invitational in particular, he tends to revisit some of his greatest hits, like debuting here as a nervous 16-year-old, and what it now means to him — forever a California kid — to host this tournament. He might share updates on his various injuries and surgeries, but it is now more ceremony than substance.

Woods’ press conference on Tuesday, however, felt like a bit of a throwback. He dangled hints about the future that made you perk up and pay attention. Asked if he has ruled out playing in the Masters two months from now, Woods stared into the cameras and delivered a curt, but surprising answer.

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“No,” he said.

He has been hitting full shots, he said. Just not well. And he insists that his ruptured Achilles no longer bothers him. Just how functional his back can be after yet another surgery is still to be determined.

“Well, the disc replacement has been one thing,” said Tiger. “It's been a challenge — I've had a fused back and now a disc replacement, so it's challenging. And now I entered a new decade, so that number is starting to sink in and has us thinking about the opportunity to be able to play in a cart. That's something that, as I said, I won't do out here on this tour because I don't believe in it. But on the Champions Tour, that's certainly that opportunity. "

Woods playing in the Masters, and also eyeing the Champions Tour, are both worthy of their own headlines, but the real news of the day might be in what Woods hinted at later in his press conference: Riviera Country Club will likely be a big chess piece in the potential schedule changes coming to the PGA Tour.

There is a real chance the Genesis Invitational could be moved to the fall, where it might slot in as part of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

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“We’re looking at everything,” Woods said. “Some things that we’ve taken a look at we’ve nixed off the table and there’s other opportunities that have grown and we’ve flushed out. As I said, the player directors have been unbelievable trying to figure all this out because we represent the player body and we’re trying to create the best product we possibly can for all our partners and fans and everyone who’s involved.

“Whatever that looks like, whether it’s us staying here in southern California, whether it’s us staying here at this time and date or us moving to August or some other time, we’re looking at everything. It changes day-to-day, so if you ask me tomorrow, that might change.”

Even at 50, at the height of the Scottie Scheffler Era, Woods still has the power to make us hang on nearly every word.