Despite much speculation that Tiger Woods would open his 2019 season next week in the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort https://www.kapalua.com in Hawaii, multiple media reports this week reported that he will not be there.
Woods qualified for the winners-only tournament for the first time since 2014 by capturing the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club https://www.eastlakegolfclub.com in Atlanta, and still has until Friday to commit to the first PGA Tour event of the new year.
Tiger has played in the tournament eight times and won it in 1997 and 2000, but he hasn’t played at Kapalua since 2005, when he finished in a tie for third.
“I’m not going to play as many (events) as I did this year,” Woods told ESPN at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas early this month. “I played in too many this year. …
Who knew that I could make it through all the playoff events? So all those events took a toll. I won’t be playing as much as I did (in 2018).
“ … The only thing set in stone after this is that I’m playing Genesis (at Riviera Country Club http://www.therivieracountryclub.com on Feb. 14-17) and the four majors. Other than that, we’re still taking a look at what is too much. Seven of the last nine to end my season was too much.”
Woods’ victory at East Lake, the 80th of his PGA Tour career but the first since the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational, capped his comeback from a 10-month layoff following his fourth back surgery in recent years.
In recent years, Woods has made his season debut in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course http://www.torreypinesgolfcourse.com in La Jolla, where he has won eight times—including the 2008 U.S. Open in an epic 19-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate.
The Farmers begins on Jan. 24.
