The PNC Championship is one of the most loved events of the year, with family pairings taking part in the two-day contest to offer some light relief after a long season of intensive action.
In recent years, the most high-profile team has seen 15-time Major winner Tiger Woods alongside son Charlie, but with the 2024 tournament at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando a month away, the duo is absent from the initial field – although that could change as two teams are to be confirmed.
Tiger and Charlie’s absence – at least for the time being – is not entirely surprising given the 48-year-old underwent the sixth back surgery of his career in mid-September.
That came after he had experienced back spasms throughout 2024 – an issue that was apparent even as early as February’s Genesis Invitational, when he hit a shank on the final hole of his first round.
Afterwards, Woods explained the issue had been to blame, saying: “My back was spasming the last couple holes and it was locking up. I came down and it didn’t move and I presented hosel first and shanked it.”
Despite the problem, Woods made further appearances in the year’s four Majors, but even then, his playing time was limited as he only made the cut in the first of them, The Masters.
Tiger Woods’ most recent appearance came at The Open in July
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The procedure on Woods was a microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in his lower back.
In other words, a piece of tissue attached to his spine was removed, and following the work, a statement released on Wood’s social media platforms declared it had gone “smoothly,” although no timeframe was given for his return.
Despite that, the statement struck an optimistic tone, with Woods adding: “I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf.”
At the time, Woods had a clear schedule, with his next anticipated appearance not arriving until the Hero World Challenge at the beginning of December, which he hosts.
In late October, the field was named for the Albany event, but Woods was not in it, although there were three spaces to fill leaving the possibility that he may still appear. With two weeks to go until the event, those three spots remain vacant.
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