The USGA expects Tiger Woods to tee it up at the 2028 U.S. Senior Open at Crooked Stick Golf Club. There’s history on the line if he does.
USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer told WISH-TV’s Anthony Calhoun that a Senior Open title would carry extra weight for Woods. It would be his 10th USGA championship.
“Tiger understands his legacy,” Bodenhamer said. “Bobby Jones won nine USGA national championships. Tiger Woods has won nine. And to win that tenth, if he could do it at the U.S. Senior Open, he understands what that means.”
Woods’ nine USGA titles include three U.S. Junior Amateurs (1991-93), three U.S. Amateurs (1994-96) and three U.S. Opens (2000, 2002, 2008). Jones won four U.S. Opens and five U.S. Amateurs.
RELATED: Tiger Woods’ 2008 U.S. Open WITB
Bodenhamer also pointed to an even rarer piece of history. “There’s only been two people in the history of our game that have won the U.S. Amateur, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer,” he said. “Tiger has won the Am and the Open. He’s never won the Senior Open, but Tiger’s also won the Junior Am. He’d be the only one ever to do it.”
Anthony Calhoun (@ACwishtv)
View post on X
Nicklaus won the U.S. Senior Open in 1991 and 1993. Palmer won it in 1981.
“So I guess what I’m trying to say is it’s important to Tiger, and I would expect that he would be here at Crooked Stick,” Bodenhamer said.
Crooked Stick, the Pete and Alice Dye design in Carmel, Indiana, last hosted the U.S. Senior Open in 2009. Fred Funk won that week at 20-under 268, setting a 72-hole scoring record.
Woods turned 50 last December, making him eligible for the championship. He registered for the 2026 U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club but opted not to play as he continued his recovery.
Woods hasn’t made a PGA Tour start since missing the cut at the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. His last competitive appearance came in March, when he played one match in the TGL finals after another back surgery sidelined him for most of the season.
He had been aiming to return at the Masters. On March 27, Woods was arrested on suspicion of DUI following a single-vehicle rollover crash on Jupiter Island, Florida.
Woods pleaded no contest on Sept. 2 to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and refusal to submit to a lawful test. His driver’s license was suspended for five years as part of the plea agreement.
Woods is expected to play in Jupiter Links GC’s TGL season opener against Los Angeles Golf Club on Dec. 27 barring another physical setback, per ESPN. He has not formally committed.
Kevin Kisner, who was replaced on the Jupiter Links roster by Keith Mitchell, said on the “Fore Play” podcast that Woods wants to play a full TGL schedule. “Come back, get your feet wet at the Hero, play with Charlie in the Father/Son, play some TGL, get ready for Augusta,” Kisner said.
Woods has not been announced for the Hero World Challenge, which he hosts Dec. 3-6 in the Bahamas. Three spots remain open in the 20-man field.
The PNC Championship follows Dec. 17-20 in Orlando, where Woods could team with his son, Charlie. He would be allowed to use a cart in the 36-hole scramble.
