Tiger Woods has fueled anticipation that he is just weeks away from making his long-awaited return to golf.

The 15-time major champion has not played a PGA Tour event since he missed the cut at The Open in 2024 at Royal Troon.

Since then, Woods has been beset by injuries and legal struggles. He ruptured an Achilles tendon and had a seventh back surgery before being arrested on suspicion of DUI earlier this year.

In September, the 50-year-old pleaded no contest to the charges stemming from the DUI, striking a deal with prosecutors which will see the golfer banned from driving for five years.

Woods spent time in a rehab facility in Switzerland following the crash but is expected to return to golf before the end of the year.

Woods was initially forecast to make his comeback when the new season of TGL kicks off on December 27. On Tuesday, however, Woods suggested he could return at the Hero World Challenge, the tournament he hosts which kicks off in the Bahamas on December 3.

'I'm feeling better, no doubt about that,' Woods told Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio. 'I've been training quite a bit. I will be at Hero [World Challenge]. I'm there either way, so I'll see you there.'

In recent months, Woods has been filmed hitting balls at Monterey Peninsula Country Club and Liberty National. 

Only 20 players compete in the Hero World Challenge. As it stands, 17 members of the field have been announced for the event. Woods is not currently among them but three exemption spots remain. 

The 50-year-old was closing in on a return at the 2026 Masters, only for his DUI arrest to delay his comeback and pose troubling questions about his future in golf.

He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

If Woods does not return at the Hero World Challenge, he could line up alongside son Charlie in the PNC Championship in Orlando between December 17-20. The new TGL campaign, meanwhile, kicks off on December 27, with Woods expected to play in Jupiter Links GC's season opener.

It has been a turbulent year for Woods and his partner Vanessa Trump, who revealed in May that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Woods was recently pictured with Vanessa, her daughter Kai and son Donny in front of the bell she rang to mark getting the all-clear from cancer.