Watching Tiger Woods strike irons on the golf simulators in TGL isn't exactly equivalent to watching him walk down the fairways of Augusta National, but it's always a good sight to see the legend back in action. Tiger returned from back surgery on Tuesday night to try to give his Jupiter Links squad a boost in the championship match, but LAGC persevered to win the SoFi Cup.

Sahith Theegala, Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa, and Tommy Fleetwood took home the title in 2026, beating out Woods, Tom Kim, Max Homa, and Kevin Kisner. They won 9-2 in the final match, putting on a dominating performance from start to finish.

Article Continues Below

While Tiger's return was exciting, he didn't have his greatest match, which was to be expected with the long layoff from competitive golf. It isn't the same atmosphere as a professional golf tournament, but it could get him back into a competitive mindset before he potentially returns to real golf at The Masters in April.

Other than TGL, Tiger last played in 2024 when he entered the Genesis Invitational and all four majors. He withdrew at the Genesis, missed the cut in three of the four majors, and finished 60th at The Masters. While the nostalgia is always a factor when Woods returns to play professional golf, it'll be important for everyone to temper their expectations this time around.

The next 48 hours will be crucial for the future of Tiger's golf career, as the result of his first competitive event since back surgery will likely determine if we get to see him regularly in tournaments this season.