Tiger Woods had not publicly responded as of noon on March 27 to President Donald Trump’s comments on Fox News the day before that the five-time Masters champion would not play in the tournament to be held at Augusta National Golf Club in two weeks.
But he did something else. He has registered for the U.S. Senior Open, which will be held July 2-5 at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.
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However, the United States Golf Association quickly stated that his registration as an exempt player was a formality and that Wood had not yet committed to playing.
Tiger Woods does not approve of what President Donald Trump told everyone on Fox News on March 26th that he will not play in the Masters. However, he registered for the U.S. Senior Open.
“Tiger entered the championship solely to secure his spot, but will not decide whether he will play until a later date,” the statement said.
Woods turned 50 in December, making him eligible to play in this year’s PGA Tour Champions event. As a past U.S. Open champion in his first 10 years of Champions Tour eligibility, he is exempt from competing in the U.S. Senior Open until 2035.
Where will Tiger Woods play on the PGA Tour Champions?
It was an exercise in reading the tea leaves to find out when Woods will play in his first senior tournament. He said last week that his recovery from last year’s Achilles tendon and back surgery is still slow, but he is hitting the ball and played in the TGL Championship game at Palm Beach Gardens earlier this week.
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There are two reasons why Woods would want to play in the U.S. Senior Open. One is the chance to win the U.S. Junior, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open for the first time, and win the Grand Slam of the USGA National Championship. And the tournament will be held on the course where his boyhood idol, Jack Nicklaus, learned to play golf.
Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are the only players to have won the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, and U.S. Senior Open. Neither of them won the U.S. Junior title, but Woods won three times.
Other majors on the Champions Tour that Woods is considering include the Senior PGA, which will be held April 16-19 in Bradenton, across the state from his home in Jupiter. He won the Kaulig Companies Championship, held July 9-12 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, for the eighth time.
There are two other PGA Tour Champions events to be held on courses where Woods won on the PGA Tour: the Alley Challenge, August 28-30 at Warwick Hills Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and the Pure Insurance Challenge, September 18-20 at Pebble Beach.
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President Trump says Woods will withdraw from Masters
On March 26, two days after Woods still declined to say whether he would play in the Masters, President Donald Trump appeared on Fox News’ “The Five” and said Woods would not play in the Masters.
When asked to pick a Masters winner, the president blurted out the news.
US President Donald Trump awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to US golfer Tiger Woods during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 6, 2019. (Photo credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
President Trump said, “I love Tiger, but he won’t be there.” “Well, he’ll be there, but he won’t play there.”
The only time Woods committed to being on the field at Augusta National was likely for the Champions Dinner.
“I’ve been trying,” Woods said at a March 24 press conference. “This body is not going to recover like it did when I was 24, 25. I want to play. I love this tournament. I’ve loved being there since I was 19. I’m going to play either way.”
This article originally appeared in the Florida Times Union: Tiger Woods registers for U.S. Senior Open to be held July 2-5 at Scioto Country Club
