Tiger Woods has said that he is setting up for “phase two” of his life as he returns to the PGA Tour for the first time in 15 months at the Hero World Challenge, which begins in the Bahamas on Thursday.

Woods has not played on the PGA Tour since August 2015, twice undergoing surgery due to ongoing back problems. Woods missed the whole of the 2015-’16 season through injury.


The 40-year-old is currently down to a world ranking of 898th and is hoping to make his way back to the upper bracket.

“I want to play for a lifetime, but I can’t compete for a lifetime,” he said. “I call it phase two, because I can’t play this game forever at a competitive high level. Would I love to? Yes. Guys have played into their 70s and 80s but they’re not competing at a world-class level.”

Woods however said that he will go out to win. “They’re going to try and beat me. I want to beat them, too,” he added. “If I enter an event, I’m going to try and win the thing. I know that’s a tall order, but the mindset is still there.”

The 14-time major champion’s last appearance came at the 2015 Wyndham Championship where he tied for 10th. Woods has won 79 titles on the PGA Tour, but has not had a tournament victory since 2013 and has not won a major championship since 2008.