The 15th major winner, Tiger Woods, is 48 years old, yet he is still quite an active golfer. There have been several instances when he was spotted limping on the greens or having health issues like influenza, but he always persevered through. Woods’s journey has not been easy! He has been through a lot, both physically and mentally. He has undergone a lot of surgeries and has fought through various nerve-wracking injuries. His 2021 near-fatal accident was just the tipping point. It made things harder for him and made him sit out the competitions a lot, but he came back and now seems to be more ready than ever.

He will be teeing up at Valhalla in a couple of days, and during the pre-tournament conference, he revealed a concerning reality about his health. As you may suspect from the history of his injuries, it is his back again that seems to be troubling him. Yet again! Woods was reminded of how a decade ago he had to face extreme back issues. In 2014, the golfer had to undergo surgery and subsequently withdrew from the Masters for the first time in his career. Now that he was asked to compare his back health from a decade ago, the golfer explained there have been no significant differences. He stated, “It’s not different. At that time, I was maybe one back procedure into it. Now it’s a hell of a lot more than that number.”

Tiger Woods made it vocal that ever since 2014, he has had several other health issues, and it has not helped in any improvement of his back. Instead, he confessed, “Back is now fused, as you know.” He also reflected on how he felt back in 2014 and how he feels now. The golfer said, “Yeah, coming into 2014, I wasn’t feeling very good. But I’m always going to feel soreness and stiffness in my back, but that’s okay. I just need other body parts to start feeling better.”

Woods WD from 2023 Masters for plantar fasciitis pain. He then underwent ankle surgery and was out of the professional game. He returned to play at the Hero World Challenge and alerted everyone to his health. He mentioned “Just like when I had my back fused. The force still has to go somewhere. So it’s up the chain.” He then came to play at the Genesis Invitational but had to WD before the second round commenced because of the flu. However, the first round was not that good either. “My back spasmed on it. It had been spasming over the last three holes, and it just locked up on me and didn’t move or rotate,” said Woods.

In 2021, Woods decided to have his fifth microdiscectomy on his back in January to remove a bulging disc. His back problems have been long-standing now, and one could say that Tiger Woods and his injuries just walk parallel to each other. What happened in 2014 that made the golfer feel less good?

Tiger Woods’s 2014 back health replayed

It was March 2014 when Woods had to withdraw from the final round of the Honda Classic. Although he had shot 5-over 40 on the front nine, there were no signs of proceeding further with his pain. Back then, it was brought to our attention that this lower back spasm was something he had also felt when he fell on his knees a year ago in Barclays.

Following this, Woods had to undergo surgery in April 2014 “for a pinched nerve in his back.” And because of that, he had to miss his Masters appearance that year. Again, in August, he withdrew from yet another final round. This time it was the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and his back issues remained a constant trouble throughout the year. Back then, he had said something along the same lines as he had done in the conference of this PGA Championship. He had mentioned that he “just jarred it, and it’s been spasming ever since.”

It is less than two weeks until Tiger Woods makes just his third competitive appearance of the year at the PGA Championship.

Ahead of his next Major start at Valhalla, on Monday, Woods will reportedly embark on a scouting mission to the course.

According to X account TW Legion, Woods is set to visit the Kentucky course just 10 days before the second Major of the year gets underway.

The account wrote: “Tiger will scout Valhalla Golf Club tomorrow, site of the PGA Championship, according to a source familiar.”

One of Woods’ four PGA Championship wins came at Valhalla, when he lifted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2000 after winning a playoff against Bob May. That wasn’t the most recent time Woods played competitively at the course, though.

After missing out on the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla as he was recovering from knee surgery, he returned for the 2014 PGA Championship. However, he couldn’t replicate his success of 14 years earlier, and missed the cut after two rounds of 74. The 48-year-old will be determined to ensure there is no repeat of that next week.

In 2024 so far, Woods has experienced mixed fortunes. At February’s Genesis Invitational, it was touch and go as to whether he would make the cut, but in the event, he withdrew during the second round because of illness.

Two months later, at The Masters, he set a new record for the number of consecutive cuts made at the Augusta National Major, but faded over the weekend before eventually finishing 60th.

There were still encouraging signs that he may have put his long-standing injury problems with his right ankle behind him, though, a year after he had undergone a subtalar fusion procedure on it.

Before the tournament Woods had expressed his desire to resume a plan originally outlined before last year’s Hero World Challenge to play a tournament a month. He said: “Well, I wasn’t ready to play. My body wasn’t ready. My game wasn’t ready.

“And I thought that when I was at Hero, once a month would be a really nice rhythm. Hasn’t worked out that way. But now we have major championships every month from here through July. So now the once a month hopefully kicks in.”

Woods’ reported appearance at Valhalla this week is evidence that those plans remain firmly on track.

As for his hopes of winning a fifth PGA Championship title to add to his 15 Major victories, that’s something he refuses to write off too. Last week, he appeared on the Today Show with Carson Daly, where he expressed his desire to “ruin” his new Sun Day Red apparel brand’s logo.

He explained: “The logo is a tiger. It’s a simple thing – it’s nice and clean. There is some representation of what I have done in my career. If you look at the stripes, there’s 15 stripes, and as you alluded to earlier I’ve won 15 Major championships. My goal is to ruin this logo. I want to keep ruining the logo. If the trademark is this, my job is to ruin it.”

Following Sun Day Red’s first batch release on the 1st May, many users were asking the question – ‘Where is the red?’ Now, on Sunday 5th May, their questions were answered, but not for long!

Prior to its release on the 5th May, both Tiger Woods and Sun Day Red teased the new ‘All Things Red’ collection and, within hours of going on sale, sizes from small to extra-extra large had already sold out on the Sun Day Red website.

It’s hardly surprising… Arguably the most iconic piece of golf clothing over the past few decades has been the red polo shirt that Woods wears on Sunday. An item which viewers haven’t tired of seeing throughout the 15 Major victories and 82 PGA Tour titles.

The significance of the color red goes back to Woods’ junior days and the influence of his mother, Kultida: “The red story is actually a good one. It comes from my mom. My mom thought it was my being a Capricorn, whatever, it was my power color or some B.S. thing like that,” the 48-year-old said in a recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“So I end up wearing red and end up winning some junior golf tournaments. And then, to spite her, I wore blue and I did not win those tournaments. So mama’s always right.”

Amongst the new red release was the Delta PA polo, which also featured in ‘black’, ‘moon’, and ‘hunter’ colors. The cost of that was $120, whilst the 3D Knit Polo came in at $150, with it also available in the same colorways.

Although it’s not confirmed, Woods’ PGA Championship outfits were listed on the Sun Day Red website recently, with the 48-year-old seemingly planning to make an appearance at Valhalla. Along with the second Major of the year, Woods was granted a special exemption into the 2024 US Open by the USGA at the start of May.

The second Major of the year, the PGA Championship, boasts arguably the strongest field in the men’s game – and it’s certainly the largest field of the four showpiece events, with 156 players set to tee it up at Valhalla.

The field is filled with former champions, the world’s top 100, Major winners over the last five years, special invites and others.

Unlike other Majors, the PGA Championship doesn’t include amateurs, although there are lesser-known players in the form of club pros, with the 20 low scorers in the last PGA Professional Championship eligible.

There are also 15 LIV Golf players in the field, including defending champion Brooks Koepka, who held off the challenge of Viktor Hovland in 2023 to win his fifth Major title at Oak Hill.

Koepka is a Major specialist, so there is every chance he will compete near the top of the leaderboard again, although surely the player many will expect to claim victory is Scottie Scheffler. He already has one Major title this year after victory at The Masters.

With Scheffler’s wife Meredith due to give birth imminently, there is a chance he will be a late withdrawal, but assuming he plays, the World No.1 will be hard to stop.

As ever, 15-time Major winner Tiger Woods will command much of the attention in his first appearance since finishing 60th at The Masters. Despite fading over the weekend at Augusta National, Woods remains fiercely competitive as he looks for a fifth PGA Championship title.

Rory McIlroy is still seeking a fifth Major title a decade after claiming his fourth. Will this finally be the week when he achieves it?

Another player hoping to make his own piece of history this week is Jordan Spieth, who is just one PGA Championship title short of a career Grand Slam.

Other big names in the field include 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm, Brian Harman, who won The Open last year, and US Open champion Wyndham Clark.

As well as Koepka and Rahm, other LIV golfers fancied to do well include 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, former World No.1 Dustin Johnson and 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. It would also be hard to completely write off the chances of another LIV Golf star, 2021 PGA Champion Phil Mickelson, who is looking for a seventh Major title.

Justin Thomas won his second PGA Championship title in 2022, and he will be hoping to get firmly on track after a frustrating spell of form over the last 12 months.

One of the game’s rising stars, Ludvig Aberg, withdrew from last week’s Wells Fargo Championship with a knee issue, but he’s also in the field and will be looking to show the kind of form that saw him finish runner-up to Scheffler at The Masters.

Other big names include two-time Major winner Collin Morikawa and Max Homa, who will both be encouraged after finishing T3 at The Masters.

The likes of Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland, who are all in the world’s top 10, play too.

Much of the attention will also be on club pro Michael Block, who created a sensation in 2023 with a finish of T15, comfortably ahead of stars of the calibre or Rahm and Spieth – a performance that ensured his place at the 2024 edition.

Below is the complete field for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD

• Åberg, Ludvig
• An, Byeong Hun
• Beem, Rich
• Bevell, Josh
• Bezuidenhout, Christiaan
• Bhatia, Akshay
• Björk, Alexander
• Blair, Zac
• Block, Michael
• Bowser, Evan
• Bradley, Keegan
• Burmester, Dean
• Burns, Sam
• Cantlay, Patrick
• Clark, Wyndham
• Cole, Eric
• Cole, Preston
• Collet, Tyler
• Conners, Corey
• Daly, John
• Davis, Cameron
• Day, Jason
• DeChambeau, Bryson
• Detry, Thomas
• Dobyns, Matt
• Donald, Luke
• Dufner, Jason
• Dunlap, Nick
• Eckroat, Austin
• English, Harris
• Finau, Tony
• Fitzpatrick, Matthew
• Fleetwood, Tommy
• Fowler, Rickie
• Fox, Ryan
• Garnett, Brice
• Glover, Lucas
• Gooch, Talor
• Griffin, Ben
• Grillo, Emiliano
• Gross, Larkin
• Hadwin, Adam
• Harman, Brian
• Harrington, Pádraig
• Hatton, Tyrrell
• Henley, Russell
• Herbert, Lucas
• Hisatsune, Ryo
• Hodges, Lee
• Hoffman, Charley
• Hoge, Tom
• Højgaard, Nicolai
• Højgaard, Rasmus
• Homa, Max
• Horschel, Billy
• Hoshino, Rikuya
• Hossler, Beau
• Hovland, Viktor
• Hubbard, Mark
• Hughes, Mackenzie
• Im, Sungjae
• Jaeger, Stephan
• Johnson, Dustin
• Jones, Jared
• Kanaya, Takumi
• Kaymer, Martin
• Kellen, Jeff
• Kim, Si Woo
• Kim, Tom
• Kirk, Chris
• Kitayama, Kurt
• Knapp, Jake
• Kobori, Kazuma
• Koepka, Brooks
• Kohles, Ben
• Lawrence, Thriston
• Lee, Kyoung-Hoon
• Lee, Min Woo
• List, Luke
• Lowry, Shane
• MacIntyre, Robert
• Malnati, Peter
• Marek, Brad
• Matsuyama, Hideki
• McCarthy, Denny
• McIlroy, Rory
• McNealy, Maverick
• Mendoza, Kyle
• Meronk, Adrian
• Micheel, Shaun
• Mickelson, Phil
• Mitchell, Keith
• Molinari, Francesco
• Montgomery, Taylor
• Moore, Taylor
• Morikawa, Collin
• Mueller, Jesse
• Murray, Grayson
• Nakajima, Keita
• Niemann, Joaquin
• Noren, Alex
• Norrman, Vincent
• Oakley, Zac
• Ogletree, Andy
• Olesen, Thorbjorn
• Otaegui, Adrian
• Pavon, Matthieu
• Pendrith, Taylor
• Perez, Victor
• Phillips, Tracy
• Polland, Ben
• Poston, J.T.
• Puig, David
• Putnam, Andrew
• Rahm, Jon
• Rai, Aaron
• Reed, Patrick
• Rodgers, Patrick
• Rose, Justin
• Schauffele, Xander
• Scheffler, Scottie
• Schenk, Adam
• Scott, Adam
• Shattuck, Braden
• Smith, Cameron
• Smith, Jordan
• Soderberg, Sebastian
• Somers, John
• Speight, Josh
• Spieth, Jordan
• Straka, Sepp
• Stricker, Steve
• Svensson, Adam
• Svensson, Jesper
• Svoboda, Andy
• Taylor, Nick
• Theegala, Sahith
• Thomas, Justin
• Todd, Brendon
• Tosti, Alejandro
• Valimaki, Sami
• van Rooyen, Erik
• van Velzen, Ryan
• Villegas, Camilo
• Walker, Jimmy
• Wallace, Matt
• Wells, Jeremy
• Widing, Tim
• Woodland, Gary
• Woods, Tiger
• Worthington II, Wyatt
• Yang, Y.E.
• Young, Cameron
• Zalatoris, Will

As expected, Tiger Woods made an early trip to Kentucky to get a good look at Valhalla ahead of next week’s PGA Championship.

The four-time PGA Championship winner will tee it up for just the third time this year at Valhalla next week, following on from finishing last of the players who made the cut at The Masters in his first completed event of the year.

15-time Major champion Woods said his plan was to try and play once a month, and certainly compete in all four Majors, and realised he would have to do more prep work for the others as he knows Augusta National inside out.

“This is a golf course I knew going into it, so I’m going to do my homework going forward at Pinehurst, Valhalla and Troon,” Woods said at The Masters. “But that’s kind of the game plan.”

Woods has now been pictured at Valhalla – the Kentucky course that was the site of the second of his four PGA Championship victories, and also the third leg of his famous Tiger Slam when he won all four Majors in a row finishing with the 2001 Masters.

Woods lifted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2000 after winning a playoff against Bob May saw him become a back-to-back PGA champion – something he also later achieved when winning the PGA Championship in 2006 and 2007.

It’s a sequence that Brooks Koepka is hoping to repeat this year as the defending champion looks to go back-to-back at Valhalla having also previously done so in 2018 and 2019.

Woods missed out on the 2008 Ryder Cup through injury when it was held at Valhalla, but did take part in the 2014 PGA Championship at the same venue – an event won by Rory McIlroy.

Woods missed last year’s PGA Championship and was forced to withdraw from the 2022 event won by Justin Thomas after playing his third round.

The 82-time PGA Tour winner will hope his body can this time hold up to the stress of playing another Major just a month after admitting how tired and sore he was after completing The Masters.

As for his hopes of winning a fifth PGA Championship title to add to his 15 Major victories, that’s something he refuses to write off too.

As he appeared on the Today Show with Carson Daly, he expressed his desire to “ruin” his new Sun Day Red apparel brand’s logo.

He explained: “The logo is a tiger. It’s a simple thing – it’s nice and clean. There is some representation of what I have done in my career. If you look at the stripes, there’s 15 stripes, and as you alluded to earlier I’ve won 15 Major championships. My goal is to ruin this logo. I want to keep ruining the logo. If the trademark is this, my job is to ruin it.”

Tiger Woods is set to be the sole PGA Tour player involved in upcoming crunch talks with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Woods was appointed to the Tour’s policy board in August following the shock announcement of a framework agreement with LIV Golf’s backers.

The 15-time Major champion was among the player directors who met PIF governer Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas in December but negotiations over a finalised deal to re-united golf’s rival factions have continued to stall.

In the latest development, as reported by The Associated Press, Woods has now been selected as the only player director to join a new five-man “transaction subcommittee” that will proceed with negotiations as both sides look to strike a deal.

The four other members include Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, board chairman Joe Gorder, Fenway Sports Group’s John W Henry and director liaison Joe Ogilvie. While the five-man team will lead day-to-day talks, any finalised deal will be returned to the full policy board for a vote.

Henry’s presence on the subcommittee is through his role as head of American sports consortium Strategic Sports Group (SSG) which agreed a $3bn investment deal with the Tour in January.

There is, however, no DP World Tour representation on the policy board or subcommittee, despite the former European Tour likely to be directly affected by any future deal with the PIF.

The latest news comes hot off the heels of the surprise revelation that Rory McIlroy will not return to the policy board.

McIlroy had been lined up to replace Webb Simpson and return to help drive negotiations forward but his potential comeback was met with unease from several policy board members.

While the Northern Irishman refused to divulge names, reports have suggested that Woods was one of those who voted against his re-inclusion.

“There was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason,” McIlroy said at this week’s Wells Fargo Championship.

“I think it just got pretty complicated and pretty messy and I think with the way it happened, I think it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before.”

“Meetings start five minutes early,” a legendary football coach once said. Tom Coughlin famously sued three of his own players for not arriving early enough. Now, Tiger Woods was no Coughlin, and his caddie, Joe LaCava, didn’t lose any money for arriving ‘on time’ for a scheduled meet. But Woods did walk out on him.

LaCava was a guest at the Hood Hargett Breakfast Club in Charlotte. The half-of-famer caddie is looping for Patrick Cantlay at the Wells Fargo Championship. In a conversation with Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer, the veteran caddie gave a glimpse of what punctuality means for Tiger Woods. Hint: it’s not the same as you and me.

LaCava doesn’t clearly remember the year. But it was during the early days. LaCava started caddying for Woods in 2011. Most of their on-road dinners were at the hotel because the 48-year-old would get mobbed at other places. However, once Woods invited LaCava to a stake dinner at 5 PM.

When the veteran bagman showed up, Woods was already almost halfway through his dinner. Joe LaCava was ‘late’ by not arriving early. “He got there early, ordered a salad, steak, and baked potato, and cuts it all up and eats it in about four minutes.” LaCava’s salad was yet to reach his table. And when it did, Woods was done. He stood up and walked out.

LaCava added with laughter, “We spent about six minutes together. From then on, I knew it was Tom Coughlin time — 5 p.m. means 10 minutes until 5.” Coughlin, the former New York Giants head coach, famously fined linebackers Carlos Emmons and Barrett Green and cornerback Terry Cousin for not being early enough for a meeting. Of course, that was the first and last time LaCava made the mistake of arriving on time for his employer.

David Abeles, the CEO of TaylorMade Golf, would testify to this: Woods’s punctuality. In fact, he called this his biggest lesson after working with Woods for over a year. Being punctual doesn’t mean being on time. It means being ahead of time. Sometimes even by half an hour.

Abeles told Golf.com, “With Tiger, he doesn’t show up on time, he shows up 10 minutes early. And at times, he shows up 30 minutes early.” So, when Woods asked for an in-person meeting for the Sun Day Red discussion, Abeles and his teams arrived an hour before the scheduled time.

The end result of that early arrival is what Tiger Woods now sports at tournaments and talk-show appearances. Abeles and his team made a pitch with the vision, the personal ties, the brand name, and the logo of Sun Day Red. “You guys got me,” the 15-time Major champion said at the end. Abeles, though, got him when he took the right call to land on his Jupiter residence on ‘Coughlin’ time.

One. Two. Valhalla. The clock is ticking fast. As the golf world was just recovering from Tiger Woods’s 24th consecutive cut made at the 2024 Masters, the PGA Championship scheduled at the Valhalla Golf Course seems to be knocking at the golf world’s door. Interestingly enough, Tiger Woods seems all set to fulfill his resolve to destroy the Sunday Red logo by adding another stripe to it this coming weekend.

However, amidst the hours of practice, preparatory scouting trips, and continued entertainment, it’s important not to forget all the unbelievable moments the 4-time PGA Champion has delivered throughout his professional history! Here are some unforgettable moments that will leave your mouth agape and hearts racing in anticipation, of all of this is possible in the days to come if the stars’ health prevails.

Ever since Woods had his maiden victory at the PGA Championship in 1999, the star’s connection with the event has made many headlines. The 2000 edition of this major played a key role in a young Woods achieving the well-known Tiger Slam. Surely, then, a symbiotic relationship like this one deserves extrapolation.

1. Steamy Tiger

The heat in St. Louis in August 2018 was extra high at the Bellerive Golf Course. After all, the event saw the GOAT of the golf world change his shirt four times during the third round on Saturday. “New shirt, new round,” was the roar surrounding the golf world as this change into an identical shirt boosted Woods’s otherwise sulking game.

After the “steamy” change of clothing, the talented pro transitioned from a bogey on the par-4 10th and a double bogey on the par-4 11th to hit his first fairway, resulting in a birdie on the 12th. Then, who wouldn’t believe in the insane amounts of sports world superstitions?

2. When a young fan passed out after seeing Woods

The St. Louis summer heat coupled with the sight of a steamy 82-time PGA Tour winner is not for everyone. At the sight of his favorite, a young fan of Woods’ passed out before the star teed it up on the 12th hole.

However, after giving a momentary jolt to the fans’ existence, Woods’ glorious play also revived him as the course echoed with exclamations. Even though physically exhausted, the kids’ prime concern after the revival was that he missed Woods’s shot. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?

3. The three grand playoff holes of the 2000 PGA Championship

The 2000 PGA Championship must hold a reservation in the star’s heart. After all, that was the year when he won the Tiger Slam (a famous period in the golfer’s career when he became the first player ever to win four consecutive major championships).

However, this record came after much hard work. Particularly, a toe-to-toe fight with Bob May, which eventually led to three playoff holes between the two. After the third playoff hole, the now-48-year-old won the 2000 PGA Championship, which paved his way to the Tiger Slam the same season.

4. When Tiger Woods made a run-in putt

Tiger Woods’ second win at the PGA Championship in a row in 2000 was truly iconic. The third playoff hole saw Woods make a run during his walk-in putt to ensure he had actually won over Bob May and sealed an unimaginable second PGA Championship win to his name at just the age of 24!

5. When a teenage Sergio Garcia risked a broken hand and broken club in Woods pursuit

The 1999 PGA Championship saw an anxious and win-hungry Sergio Garcia risk it all in hopes of winning the trophy over Tiger Woods. While Garcia’s attempts went in vain as he finished one stroke behind Tiger in second place, the urge to attain his first major win cost him almost a broken club and a broken hand.

Yes, you heard that right. The then-19-year-old made a weird tee shot on the 16th involving trees at the Medinah Country Club. The young Garcia, in hopes of making a statement, made an iconic, undaunted move when he picked up a six-iron and shot the ball 189 yards to the green and then ran to see the result of his risky yet hopeful shot.

Even though Garcia’s attempts at getting his first major over a thriving Woods did not come to a favorable end, it is a moment engraved in golf history marked with undying determination.

Greg Norman appears to have locked in Japan as his next target. The Great White Shark was in the East Asian nation recently, and in an Instagram update, the former World No.1 hinted at an upcoming major announcement. It comes at a time when players and fans have given clarion calls to make the game more global.

Now, the PGA Tour itself has ties with the Japan Golf Tour. As Jay Monahan continues to discuss a potential merger between the LIV Golf and the PGA Tour–a new five-member subcommittee has been formed where only Tiger Woods represents the player-directors–Norman seems to plan on usurping the PGA Tour in Japan.

The former Open champion even watched the final round from the Japanese capital. Not a personal visit by means, as Norman tellingly captioned his ‘homecoming’ post, “I honed my golfing skills there for decades and was welcomed with open arms as I helped grow the game in the region alongside many great and wonderful Japanese players some of whom I met with when there. And thank you for the team on the ground who helped immensely and became instant friends. The excitement builds as we look to grow the game for the players, fans, and stakeholders. Stay tuned!”

Norman has deep ties with the country from his playing days. Among his 91 International victories, two came at the Japan Golf Tour. First in the 1977 Kuzuha International and Chunichi Crowns in 1989. In 2017, Greg Norman Golf Course Design partnered with OHBA Co., an industry leader in civil engineering and urban planning for golf course renovation.

Norman most recently said in a Bloomberg interview that his expansion plan for LIV includes owning courses where the PIF-funded side hosts their events. He also hinted that some countries have renewed interest in hosting LIV events, even the Tourism department willing to pay for hosting.

Interestingly, Norman confirmed LIV’s pursuit of Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama. But the 32-year-old lives in Sendai, some 229 miles from Tokyo. Moreover, Matsuyama is at Quail Hollow for the Wells Fargo Championship. Presumably, Greg Norman wants to include the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ in his growing list of pit stops. And the Shark might one-up PA Tour in that as well.

Notably, the PGA Tour, Japan Golf Tour, and the DP World Tour struck an agreement through which the top three players in the JGTO will earn a membership card at the DP World Tour for the next season. Last year, the Zozo Championship, too, returned to Japan, but the schedule this year doesn’t include any event in the East Asian Nation. Notably, Rory McIlroy hinted some of the US players are not very willing to play outside the country.

If LIV, indeed moves to Japan, it’ll have a footprint in four Asian nations. Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Hong Kong already dot the map. Greg Norman also mentioned they were in talks with the Philippines as well. Notably, PIF has also ties with the Asian Tour, pumping $400M into it. Top point earners from the Asian Tour International Series Order of Merit earn a direct spot at LIV Golf. Andy Ogletree qualified for LIV Golf this year.

Tiger Woods‘s 15 major wins have significantly contributed to earning him the title of GOAT. Among those victories, his four PGA Championship wins hold significance. With the 2024 PGA Championship approaching, one may ponder: among his PGA Championship triumphs, are there any with captivating stories? There just might be.

Tiger Woods, at the peak of his form, engaged in a memorable battle against Bob May in the 2000 PGA Championship. It’s remembered for Woods’ iconic display of skill and determination at Valhalla. As Woods sank a birdie putt on the 72nd hole, he rolled the ball, chased after it on tiptoes, and pointed as it barely snuck in on the left side, leading to a three-hole playoff with May.

Conversely, May’s impressive performance, with a final round score of 66 to Woods’ 67, led to a playoff between the two. Despite falling short, May’s strong showing earned him the title of “Tiger’s rival” for pushing Woods to a three-hole playoff, where he lost by just one shot. While it’s a memorable tournament for both, it’s also left a haunting mark on May. Approached in 2014, a full 14 years later, May revealed that the events of 2000 still linger as haunting memories for the former pro.

The 56-year-old began by saying, “Every time I play with one of my friends at home, if they hit a putt and they know it’s going in they’ll take off running like that, pointing at the ball.” He went on to disclose, “No one realizes how much that point has haunted — not really haunted, but taunted — me with friends. I get that everyone that does it to me as a joke.” Although May perceives it as a joke, it appears to have created an enduring haunting experience in his mind.

The disclosure wasn’t the sole revelation that surfaced in 2014 before the PGA Championship. Around that time, the Golf Channel aired “Golf’s Greatest Rounds-2000 PGA Championship,” which garnered considerable acclaim from fans. Many expressed sentiments like “That was the greatest tournament I’ve ever seen,” as May disclosed to Golf Digest. “I’ll never forget it, when I finished, [CBS’] Ken Venturi and Jim Nantz telling me how spectacular it was and that it would go down as one of the great duels in history,” said May reminiscing about the 2000 PGA Championship final round.

After winning the 2000 PGA Championship, Woods went on to secure two more PGA Championships consecutively in 2006 and 2007. With these victories, he now holds four PGA Championship titles. Now a question arises: will he be there in the fight this year to be able to clinch his fifth title, and 16th major overall?

Will Valhalla witness Tiger Woods in action?

Despite his worst Masters finish this year, the pro labeled it a “good week.” Tiger Woods powered through the Augusta showdown despite health issues and pain. He completed all four rounds, and stunned everyone with his perserverance. Following his 100th round at the Masters, speculation emerged about whether the 49-year-old can still compete in the season’s next major.

Shortly after, he responded, advising to “keep lifting, keep the motor going, keep the body moving, keep getting stronger, and keep progressing.” Woods, showing enthusiasm, disclosed his plans for doing his “homework going forward at Valhalla, Pinehurst, and Troon,” asserting his “game plan.” So, Tiger Woods will be in the event, and his fans will be hoping to see his roaring return!