Tiger Woods Registers for 2026 US Senior Open, Golf Icon Not Included in Early Field

Tiger Woods, fresh off his return to golf at the TGL final earlier this week, was absent from the field for the USGA 2026 U.S. Senior Open, per Golf Digest's Joel Beall.

Though not included in the field, Woods has registered for the event.

"Tiger has entered the championship, simply to ensure eligibility," said a USGA spokesperson, "but will not make a decision about playing until a later date."

Woods is eligible to compete on the PGA Tour Champions and its five senior championships for the first time this year after turning 50 in December. According to Beall, Woods has expressed interest in playing on the Senior Tour since it allows cart use in regular tour events.

Woods is recovering from a ruptured Achilles injury and back surgery and had not golfed competitively since 2024 until playing for Jupiter Links in the TGL this week.

While eligible for the Senior Tour, Woods still has his eyes on PGA Tour events — specifically next month's Masters Tournament. He said in February that "there" is a possibility he'll play at Augusta National.

After his TGL performance this week, Woods said that he's "trying" to get in good enough condition to play the Masters.

"I've been trying, this body doesn't recover like it did when I was 24, 25," Woods said. "It doesn't mean I'm not trying; I've been trying for a while. I've had a couple of bad injuries last year that I've had to fight through and has taken some time. I keep trying - I want to play.

"I've loved the Masters tournament, I've loved being there since I was 19 years old, so it's meant a lot to me and my family over the years and I'm going to be there either way."

Whether the five-time winner of the Masters will be ready to go by the start of the tournament on April 6 remains to be seen, but the odds of him being fully recovered by the Senior Open in July seem high.