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And, with less than a month to go until its launch, Woods shared a sneak peek into the high-tech setup inside the SoFi Center, a purpose-built arena, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida where matches will take place.

ESPN shared a clip of the 15-time major winner testing out the simulator as he fired shots from one of three mats at the giant screen with his driver.

The snippet ramped up excitement among golf fans, as many confessed they couldn’t wait to see the league in action.

One golf fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post: ‘This will be fun to bet on.. Looking forward to the holes they create!’Tiger Woods

Actually looks kinda dope lol,’ another said, while a third added, ‘I’m here for it,’ with three fire emojis.

‘At first I thought this idea was dumb, but I am actually kind of excited to watch it now,’ another confessed.

Woods has not played since bombing out of the Open Championship at Royal Troon and subsequently undergoing microdecompression surgery for nerve impingement on his lower back in September.

But other fans took Woods’ form in front of the simulator as a positive update as they seemed shocked at his ability so soon after surgery.

‘Perfect timing of Tigers career to launch this. Can’t wait,’ one fan referenced to Woods’ on-course struggles in recent years due to his health battles.

‘That’s some serious swing speed,’ another added, appraising the golf legend’s game.

‘Thought he just had back surgery now he’s swinging like this,’ one shocked fan questioned, as another echoed, ‘Didn’t he just have back surgery?’

Woods raised concerns among golf fans at the beginning of the month when he opted not to play in the Hero World Challenge.

‘I don’t. I really don’t,’ the 48-year-old admitted when asked if he had a target to return to the course during his pre-tournament press conference as host. Tiger Woods USGA

‘I’m just progressively trying to test it, keep making progress without setting it off. I don’t want to have any setbacks, just want to keep making progress and give myself the best chance going into next year as possible.

‘I feel like I’m getting stronger, I’m getting more pliable, but I’ve got a long way to go to be able to compete against these guys.’

But it was later revealed Woods will make his return next week as he continues the tradition of teeing it up alongside son Charlie at the PNC Championship.

Woods also told Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig that he should be good to go for TGL’s debut in January.

The opening contest of the 15-match season will see New York Golf Club – comprised of Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young – go up against The Bay Golf Club side of Ludvig Aberg, Wyndham Clark, Min Woo Lee and Shane Lowry.

TGL is run by TMRW Sports, the business venture launched by Woods and McIlroy in the summer of 2022.

The league boasts a host of high-profile backers, including tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams along with NBA superstar Steph Curry and Liverpool and Boston Red Sox owners the Fenway Sports Group.

Simone Biles and gymnastics go together like peanut butter and jelly—can you even imagine the sport without her? With five eponymous skills in the Code of Points, 11 Olympic medals, and 30 World Championship medals, she’s redefined what it means to be the GOAT. And like all great love stories, this one started with a twist of fate. Yep, you could even call it love at first sight.

Simone Biles spilled the tea on The Kelly Clarkson Show about how she stumbled—quite literally—into gymnastics. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t a glamorous start. “We were supposed to go to the oil ranch that day,” Simone shared with a laugh. “Yeah, very Texan thing. And it ended up raining. So they’re like, where are we going to take these kids? There was a gym down the street, and that’s where they took us.”

What happened next? Little Simone started mimicking the gymnasts. “I started copying the girls in the back, and then they were like, have you ever done gymnastics? I think you need to sign up. And they sent a brochure home, and then I signed up.” Talk about a plot twist! One soggy field trip and a little curiosity turned into a lifelong love affair.Simone Biles

She began training at Bannon’s Gymnastix in Houston under Aimee Boorman, who quickly realized she was coaching something special. Aimee recalled, “She had said that her brother taught her how to do a backhandspring in their backyard, but she had never had any formal gymnastics training,” according to Olympics.com.

In those early years, she would just watch people do skills and go and try them,” Aimee continued. “For example, she had seen a cheerleader doing a back tuck in her practice one day and she said, ‘I can do that,’ but she had never done one before. She stood up, and she did it just by watching.” Seriously, who is this girl? A prodigy, that’s who.

By 15, Simone was so obsessed with gymnastics that she left regular school to be homeschooled, dedicating every free moment to training. She crushed it as a junior, earning a scholarship to UCLA. But instead of taking the college route, she went pro, kicking off one of the most jaw-dropping careers in sports history. This kicked off a career so iconic it’s been praised by literally everyone—fans, fellow athletes, and even multinational companies lining up to be part of her greatness.

Simone Biles gets a special surprise from GoogleSimone Biles

Simone Biles has faced her share of critics, but time and again, she’s shown why she’s the undisputed queen of gymnastics. Now, even Google is bowing down to her greatness with a tribute that screams “GOAT energy.” Known for its quirky Easter eggs for celebrities, Google has rolled out a delightful surprise for Simone, and it’s as golden as her medal collection.

Search her name, and amidst the long list of her jaw-dropping achievements, you’ll notice a tiny goat-shaped button. Give it a click, and your screen lights up with a shower of confetti, flower bouquets, and golden goats. It’s a playful nod to an athlete who’s redefined excellence—not just in gymnastics but in sports as a whole. And while the timing might seem random, maybe it’s not. Why now?

Rory McIlroy has revealed it was not ‘smooth sailing’ to get the PGA Tour to agree to ‘The Showdown’ which will see McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler take on LIV Golf rivals Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.

McIlroy, Scheffler, DeChambeau and Koepka will give fans a first taste of a PGA Tour vs LIV clash, with the two pairs facing off over 18 holes with three different formats in Las Vegas on December 17. Players from opposing sides of golf’s recent fallout have only been given the chance to compete alongside each other at the four majors, after the PGA Tour opted to ban players who competed on the LIV setup.

‘The Showdown’ however will give four of the best golfers on the planet the chance to do battle away from the major stage, with bragging right’s undoubtedly up for grabs

Rory McIlroy 'changes tune' over LIV Golf and players returning to PGA Tour  | The Independent

JUST IN: Rory McIlroy admits doubt over PGA Tour and LIV Golf unity ahead of Las Vegas showdown.

It comes at a time where PGA Tour bosses are continuing to negotiate with LIV backers, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) over a peace deal. Whilst the Tour have entertained interest from PIF, their relationship with LIV still appears to be modest at best.

When it comes to the merger match in Vegas next week, LIV have seemingly been keen to push the event, their latest step to allow freedom to their playing membership. DeChambeau for example has been able to make a name for himself on YouTube since joining the LIV setup, with likes of Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm also popping up elsewhere too. The same however can not be said for the PGA Tour though, who according to McIlroy, took some convincing to give next week’s match the go ahead.

“It took a few conversations to get them to the point where they saw this could be a good thing in the long run. It took a few conversations,” McIlroy said of the Tour’s attitude towards the match. It wasn’t all smooth sailing but we got there in the end… They’ve been very supportive.”

McIlroy had previously been one of LIV’s biggest critics, having declared he ‘hated’ the Saudi-backed league even after the PGA Tour announced a framework agreement with PIF last June. Since the turn of this year though, the Northern Irishman has softened his stance, and continued his calls for unity through the power of ‘The Showdown’.

He commented “I don’t know if it was to spur things with everything that went on, it was really about us taking this into our own hands a little bit and do something outside of either tour to not only give back to the fans, but to show them or at least let them know we’re trying.”

“We’re trying to bring these players together, and the most opportunities we can get to do that, the better,” McIlroy said. “Does it remind people we’re not playing together all the time? Yes. But at least we’re making the effort to try to bring the best together more often. If we can start by doing something like this, that’s only a good thing.”

Rory McIlroy is excited about the chance to bridge the gap between PGA Tour and LIV Golf players in ‘The Showdown’ event next week in Las Vegas.

McIlroy will join forces with PGA’s Scottie Scheffler to take on LIV stars Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau at Shadow Creek Golf Club in a unique matchplay challenge, featuring three formats over 18 holes

“We’re trying to bring these players together, and the more opportunities we can get to do that, the better,” he remarked. He acknowledges the divide, “Does it remind people we’re not playing together all the time? Yes. But at least we’re making the effort to try to bring the best together more often.”

Las Vegas' Shadow Creek raises greens fee to $1,250

READ: Scottie Scheffler is Catching up to an Incredible Tiger Woods Record

McIlroy suggests starting with events like ‘The Showdown’ is beneficial. Currently, encounters between PGA and LIV players are restricted to majors due to the ban on LIV golfers in PGA events. While he is looking forward to the competition, McIlroy remains uncertain about the frequency of future PGA versus LIV matchups.

Rory McIlroy has voiced his uncertainties about the golfing world’s future, saying, “With the way the whole golf landscape works, I’m still unsure of when we’ll get together a little more often,” alluding to recent divisions in the sport. He went on to emphasize the intent behind potential matches, remarking, “The idea is to bring the best of both tours together in a match that people could get behind and get excited about it.”

This statement arrives amid persistent negotiations between PGA Tour officials and LIV Golf Investments, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), concerning a possible detente.

While McIlroy doubts such an event—dubbed ‘The Showdown’—would dramatically alter talks, he suggests it signifies an athlete-led push for amalgamation. “I don’t know if it was to spur things,” McIlroy added, asserting a proactive stance from players.

“It was really about us saying we’re going take this into our own hands a little bit, and we’re going to do something outside either tour, not to give something back to the fans but to … let them know that we’re trying to provide entertainment, that the players want to play together more often.”

The celebrated golfer concluded with a call for unity, stressing, “We’d like to see everybody back together. There’s been so much talk about LIV versus the PGA Tour, all this talk about money.

“We want to get back to the competition. … It’s fun to get together to compete.”

The Scottie Scheffler vs. Tiger Woods debate takes another turn. This time in favor of the current world no. 1. Ever since Scheffler won the 2024 Hero World Challenge, experts have been debating whether he is better than Woods. Being only the third individual to win back-to-back Hero titles apart from Viktor Hovland and Mr. T seemed to have raised this question.

Hours after his victory at Albany, Scheffler rose up the table for the longest streak as the world no. 1 surpassed Sir Nick Faldo at 4th. A table that is dominated by Tiger Woods, with two streaks that are more than 3X longer than that of the current world no. 1.

Of course, Scheffler is still quite young at 28 and has a lot of time to be able to match that record. Yet, he and everyone in golf know what a mountainous task it would be to surpass the 82X PGA Tour winner.Tiger Woods

But there is one situation where Scottie Scheffler has Tiger Woods beat according to insiders. Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz hosted Joel Dahmen on a GOLF’s Subpar podcast a few hours ago talking about various topics. One of the conversations was about how good Scottie Scheffler has been in recent times. That’s what prompted Dahmen to say, “I think it’s cool that he’s also a great human being,” as the hosts approved of the pro’s comments. Drawing a comparison with other great pros like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, he further added, “It’s different than maybe some of the other greats is where they are more sheltered and they don’t say as much.”

Considering everything that transpired in 2009 after the infamous accident that eventually led to Tiger Woods’s infidelity scandal, the GOAT has been quite hesitant to talk to the press. He had also previously emphasized his displeasure about communicating with journalists as he said, “I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means.”Tiger Woods PGA Tour LIV Golf

Coming back to Scheffler, Dahmen mentions, “He’s pretty authentic. I think he’s getting really comfortable.” Talking about Mr. Inevitable’s interactions with journalists, he said, “He’s starting to joke a little bit more with the media. He has to do it every week.” Putting himself in Scheffler’s shoes, Dahmen questioned, “What are you going to do? Give them answers all the time?”

Acknowledging Scheffler’s personality, the 1X PGA Tour winner, Dahmen, said, “He’s just a fun good dude and he’s probably a better dad than me. He’s probably a better husband than me. What else can’t this guy do?” Colt added to the conversation by stating “He’s pretty good at everything,” which received a nod from Joel Dahmen.

The world’s No.1-ranked athlete in golf, Scottie Scheffler, is catching up with Tiger Woods when it comes to one of the most incredible records set by the sport’s GOAT.

Scheffler won some of the sport’s most prestigious competitions in 2024, taking home a total of nine trophies, including The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, and the Olympics at Le Golf National in Paris. His dominance is underlined by key statistical data points including first out of all players on the PGA Tour when it comes to strokes gained, approach play — he leads when it comes to shots from 100-125 yards, and 150-175 yards, and putting average.

Woods, in his best years, also made it a habit to claim the sport’s top honors for his own while crushing metrics like driving and margin of victory.

Scottie Scheffler with The Masters trophy

JUST IN: Tiger Woods will return at the PNC Championship with son Charlie

Sheffler, though, is catching up to Woods in one key area.

When the Official World Golf Rankings were updated on Monday, Scheffler had held the No.1 spot atop the leaderboard for the 82nd consecutive week. Previously, he was tied fourth for the longest run at No.1 of all time but he’s now leaped past Britain’s former great Nick Faldo. The only golfers who have been No.1 for longer are now Tiger Woods, who achieved the feat twice — once having held top spot for 264 weeks, and once holding the ranking for 281 weeks.

The other golfer was Greg Norman, who Scheffler could leapfrog in months.

This is because, at 82 consecutive weeks, Scheffler needs to hold the No.1 spot for another 14 weeks to tie Norman. If he holds it for 15 weeks, he pulls ahead of Norman and is officially only second to a peak-form Woods.

Even with a calamitous start to 2025, and utter dominance from the current world No.2, Xander Schauffele, it’s unlikely that Scheffler would fall from No.1 because of the sheer amount of ranking points that separate him already from Schauffele. As far as catching Woods, Scheffler would need to retain the No.1 spot for another 3.5 years, at the very least, which would require repeat years like the one he just enjoyed in 2024.

One of the few areas Scheffler could improve in the months and years ahead is his putting, and he recently unveiled a new claw-style grip for shorter putts. Woods himself, impressed by Scheffler, believes 2025 could be one of Scheffler’s best.

“I mean, you see that around the short game and his trajectory control into the greens. If he has consistent weeks or consistent times on the greens, he’s gonna finish the top 10 every week and then he’s gonna pick off a lot.”

The 2025 PGA Tour begins at The Sentry on December 30 and, though there are weekly events going forward from that date, there are marquee competitions to win on February 3 at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix, Arizona, together with the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 3, and THE PLAYERS Championship on March 10 — three tournaments Scheffler has won before.

Tiger Woods is returning to the PNC Championship with 15-year-old son Charlie, his first competition since the British Open in July and after having a sixth surgery on his back three months ago.

Woods has played the 36-hole PNC Championship with Charlie every year since 2020. The tournament invites players who have won majors or The Players Championship with family members, typically their children.

“Playing together is something we look forward to and it’s always more special when you’re surrounded by friends and family,” Woods said.

Tiger Woods Son Charlie

READ: A Look Back at Tiger Woods Last World Challenge Win

The PNC Championship is Dec. 21-22 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, for 20 teams. New to the tournament this year are Fred Couples and stepson Hunter Hannemann, and Trevor Immelman and son Jacob.

Because the tournament is sanctioned by the PGA Tour Champions, Woods will be able to ride in a cart, key to him playing. He chose to sit out last week at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, where he is the tournament host, because he said his game was not sharp enough to compete against a field of the top 40 players in the world.

Woods set a Masters record in April by making his 24th consecutive cut, but he missed the cut in the other three majors. He had a microdiscectomy in September to alleviate pain down his legs, his sixth surgery on his lower back.

The biggest one was fusion surgery in 2017, and he followed that by winning the Tour Championship a year later and capturing his 15th major with a fifth Masters title in 2019. His last victory was the Zozo Championship in Japan in the fall of 2019, tying Sam Snead for the PGA Tour’s record of 82 career titles.

But there is no indication how often he can play in 2025.

“Whether my commitment going forward is once a month, yeah, I could say that all over again,” Woods said last week. “But I truly don’t know. I’m just trying to rehab and still get stronger and better and feel better, really give myself the best chance I can going into next year.”

The PNC Championship features 13-year-old Will McGee, the son of Annika Sorenstam, and 89-year-old Gary Player. Nelly Korda returns to play with her father, former tennis Grand Slam champion Petr Korda.

This weekend showcases some of the best golfers in the world at the Hero World Challenge.

The tournament is displaying the top 20 players in the world currently with the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, and Keegan Bradley. The proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Woods, who is in attendance this weekend, won the tournament five times in his career. He founded the tournament in 2000. The years he won were 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2011. He also finished in 2nd place five times over the course of his career. It was a memorable tournament in 2011 the last time he won the event.

Tiger Woods PNC Championship

READ: Money Talks Get Replaced By Charlie & Sam Woods As Scottie Scheffler Goes Candid On ‘Exciting’ Tiger Woods Moment

2011, marked an off period for Woods who had not won a worldwide tournament since the Australian Masters in 2009. He was trailing Zach Johnson by a stroke before the final two holes began.

On the 17th, the birdie was from 15 feet. On the 18th hole, it was from just six feet but still clutch from Tiger Woods. Johnson missed a birdie on the 18th to give room for Woods to win the Challenge. Johnson would go on to win the tournament himself in 2013.

Said Woods after the 2011 victory: “It feels awesome, whatever it is. I had the lead at the Master’s on the back nine and had a chance at the Aussie Open. So, this is my third time with a chance to win; I pulled it off this time.” He shot a 69 in the final round for a total of 278 to secure victory.

Whoever wins the tournament will take home a prize of 1 million dollars. Woods, when he did perform in the tournament typically donated the money to his foundation. He was unable to compete this year due to issues he still has due to his back surgery.

The 15-time major winner has only been able to play in five tournaments this year, missing the cut in four of them. He hopefully will be able to compete in next year’s tournament. Tiger Woods currently has stated he’s not sure when he will return to play.

There are many players such as Scheffler and Thomas who can draw a crowd. However, they still cannot draw a crowd like Woods himself. The tournament can only hope to have him return next year.

The Hero World Challenge, an unofficial PGA Tour event hosted by Woods, tees off today at Albany, featuring 20 players from the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Woods isn’t playing this year, but as a host, he is there. And as always, the event kicked off with a pro-am and the customary press conference. During media interactions, Scheffler gave us a little peek behind the scenes. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t all business.

The PGA Tour feels like it’s on fire these days, doesn’t it? New formats, that ongoing merger saga, the snail’s pace of play debates, and so much more. Pretty much anyone in the golf world has something to say about it. And it makes sense—big changes can feel like a lot when one season’s ending and another is gearing up. So, when you get two big names like former World No. 1 Tiger Woods and current No. 1 Scottie Scheffler met on the course, they were not knee-deep in these hot topics. They talked about their kids.

READ: Tiger Woods reveals when he might next play golf

“Talked about his kids,” Scheffler said with a grin. “It’s really exciting, when you ask somebody about their kids, they always get so excited and that’s really fun for me to be able to do with people because they get so excited and it’s fun to share what’s going on. Tiger’s the same way, he always gets excited when he gets to talk about his kids.”

If you’ve followed Woods even a little, you know how much he adores his kids, Charlie and Sam. It’s the kind of thing that melts even the toughest hearts in the golf world. So did he give some parenting advice to first-time dad Scheffler? “There was no advice. If I did, I’m sure neither of us would probably want to be sharing it publicly,” revealed the #1.

We’ve all seen Woods’ love for his kids. Whether it’s Charlie’s golf swing or Sam’s proud moments, his passion as a dad is undeniable. “I just love being with them and seeing what they’re doing, what they’re capable of doing—the joys, just the shifts of interest. It’s just fun. We have a great time together,” Woods shared back in 2011, and it still rings true.

Well, its not like they only talked about their kids. They talked about the ongoing matters of the golf world as well. “I think most of the time we just talk about money and how the purses need to be bigger,” Scheffler said. “Today we really grinded on the Ryder Cup and how it’s just such BS that we’ve never gotten paid. Tiger was really frustrated; he feels like he hasn’t made enough money in his career. I feel the same way; I feel like last year I didn’t get paid 4 enough for what I did. Mostly that, just a bunch of griping.”

Woods feeling that he has not made enough money would come as a shocker to many. He is the richest golfer with the most amount earned from the Tour. Scheffler made the most this year, nearly $29.2 million from tournaments. Sure, Woods is one of the greatest golfers of all time, but it’s the bond he shares with Sam and Charlie that shows how great a dad he really is.

We all love Woods on the course, but if you ask him, his favorite role is definitely being a dad. Through all the highs and lows—majors won, injuries, comebacks—his bond with his kids, Sam and Charlie, has been the real constant. And honestly, it’s a side of Woods that’s just as impressive as his golf game.

By the time Charlie and Sam were toddlers, Woods’s world got pretty messy with a very public scandal and divorce in 2010. But even in the middle of all that chaos, he put his kids first. In a 2015 interview with TIME, he admitted he was upfront with them in the simplest way: ‘Guys, the reason why we’re not in the same house, why we don’t live under the same roof, Mommy and Daddy, is because Daddy made some mistakes.’ It wasn’t flashy or complicated—just an honest dad trying to explain a tough situation.

Sam has been cheering her dad on since she was six months old, and in December 2023, she even caddied for him during the PNC Championship. Meanwhile, Charlie is shaping up to be a mini version of his dad. The two first competed together in the 2020 PNC Championship, and fans couldn’t help but notice their eerily similar mannerisms. Even Charlie’s coach sees the resemblance, both in his game and his demeanor.

Rory McIlroy says it was an ‘easy decision’ to accept a £2.4million fine for skipping a tournament last year.

The Northern Irishman was a late withdrawal from the RBC Heritage 18 months ago, landing him in hot water with officials.

McIlroy endured a tough week at the 2023 Masters just the week before. He returned home to focus on his mental wellbeing. However, PGA rules that year stated that players would need to return 25 per cent of their Player Impact Program bonus if they skipped more than one Signature Event’.

Rory McIlroy withdraws from RBC Heritage following disappointing Masters  finish

JUST IN: Tiger Woods reveals when he might next play golf

That was the second time McIlroy had missed a tournament that fell under that category. But the 35-year-old was perfectly willing to forego £2.4m in a bid to recover mentally.

“I had my reasons to not play Hilton Head and I’ve expressed those to Jay,” McIlroy has since said, referring to a conversation with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

“It was an easy decision, but I felt like if that fine or whatever is to happen was worth that for me in order to get some things in place.”

McIlroy says he will streamline his calendar next year. He wants to focus only on the events he enjoys playing, having endured some gruelling and challenging schedules over the past few years. That approach may even help him end a decade-long wait for a major championship.

The RBC Heritage is no longer a mandatory event. The World No. 3 can therefore skip that tournament without facing sanctions.

“There’s a few tournaments that I played this year that I don’t usually play and that I might not play next year,” McIlroy told the Daily Telegraph in November.

“Like, I played the Cognizant [Classic] in Palm Beach Gardens, [the Texas Open in] San Antonio and the [RBC Heritage in] Hilton Head.

“And I’ll probably not play the first play-off event in Memphis. I mean, I finished basically dead last there this year, and only moved down one spot in the play-off standings.

“Well, at this point in my career… Hey, I’m 35 and have been out here for 17, 18 years, so I’m just going to go to the places that I enjoy and where I play well. Look I’ve done the hard slog, I’ve done that sort of 25 to 30 events a year. And I’m not getting any younger.”

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