Rory McIlroy has hinted that Tiger Woods could make his return to competitive golf next month.
Woods has not played since missing the cut at the 150th Open Championship as he waved an emotional goodbye to St Andrews after missing the cut in what was likely to be his swansong at the Old Course.
The 15-time major champion continues to recover from the high-speed single vehicle crash in February 2021 that almost left him unable to walk. Woods required emergency surgery after suffering multiple leg breaks amid serious doubts he would never swing a club competitively again.
But he made a remarkable return at the Masters in April, making the cut at Augusta National despite visible levels of discomfort. But he was forced to withdraw in the third round of the PGA Championship and was a shadow of his best as he limped around St Andrews.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner plummeted to a career low 1,206th in the Official World Golf Rankings in October after dropping over 600 places during an inactive year.
It has been a long road to recovery for golf's transformative star, who once held the world No.1 spot for 683 consecutive weeks. And new world No.1 McIlroy believes close friend Woods could return at the Hero World Challenge next month.
"Tiger overall is fine," McIlroy told Golf and Turismo. "He is still working hard on his rehabilitation. The road is long but improving day by day. After the Open Championship he had to take a break, but I think he can be back by the end of the year, maybe at the Hero World Challenge."
The Hero World Challenge, staged in early December, is an annual PGA Tour invitational event hosted by Woods at Albany in the Bahamas. This year's field includes seven major winners and defending champion Viktor Hovland.
Will Zalatoris, Cameron Young, Sungjae Im, Max Homa and Tom Kim also making their debuts in the tournament, while three special exemption picks are yet to be announced.
Should Woods return in time for his own tournament, he could also feature at the PNC Championship in December 17-18 with son Charlie. The father-son duo took social media by storm after competing in the 36-hole team event last year.
