‘Bionic man’ Tiger Woods losing key attribute that made him golf great but ex-coach refuses to rule out Masters comeback

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TIGER WOODS is a “bionic man” and has lost some of his competitive edge.

But write him off at your peril, warns Butch Harmon.

Tiger Woods can never, ever be written off – even after everything he has been through[/caption]

Woods will miss the 2025 Masters after undergoing surgery on his Achilles in March[/caption]

Tiger Woods on crutches with his dog on a golf course.

Woods luckily avoided having his leg amputated in 2021[/caption]

Harmon knows Woods better than most, having spent 11 years as his coach from 1993 to 2004.

During their time together, Woods won eight of his 15 majors, including his record-breaking 1997 Masters victory and completing the career Grand Slam aged 24 at the 2000 Open Championship.

Woods miraculously won his fifth Masters in 2019 after an 11-year drought amid a wave of injury woes and complicated surgeries.

Two years later, the golfing great nearly lost his leg in a horrific high-speed car crash as he suffered multiple open fractures and post-traumatic arthritis after rolling his SUV.

That was followed in September 2024 by his SIXTH back operation in ten years before his latest procedure last month – at least surgery No14 in total – for a ruptured Achilles.

Despite a April Fool’s Day prank joking he was ready for a shock return at the Masters, Woods will spend another spell on the sidelines as his long wait to play competitive golf again goes on.

He has not featured in a tournament since missing out on the weekend at The Open in July – three months after securing his 24th consecutive cut at Augusta.

But even after everything he has been through – on and off the course – Harmon refuses to rule out more heroics from Woods, even as he prepares to enter his sixth decade in December.

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Asked if we will ever see Woods tee it up at the Masters again, Harmon told SunSport: “You can never say never with Tiger. We’ve all counted him out numerous times and he’s come back every time and proved us wrong.

“In 2023, he couldn’t finish the Masters because the poor guy can’t walk. Augusta is a very hilly golf course. People don’t realise how hard a walk it is.

“Would I like to see him come back? Of course.

“But at the end of this year, he’ll be 50 years old. He’s not a kid anymore.

“The amount of surgeries he’s had is unbelievable.

“He’s like the bionic man – he’s got so much work done.

“He’s had so many things happen to him but he just keeps coming back.

“So I’m not counting him out. We can never count Tiger out.”

Woods has openly admitted playing a full-time schedule again is off the cards.

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And his veteran coach – who is now working for Tommy Fleetwood after spells with Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy – believes he is no longer as motivated as he once was.

So in 2026, once he has turned 50 at the end of December, Woods could sign up to the PGA Champions Tour.

Harmon added: “He knows his body better than anybody. When you watch him play, it looks pretty good. His swing looks good. He still hits the ball a long way.

“I’m not sure his competitiveness is as tight as it used to be because he doesn’t play in hardly any tournaments.

“It’s going to be interesting if he plays on the Champions Tour. The players can actually ride in a buggy on the Champions Tour. Would he play in that? I don’t know.

“I would assume he’d love to play in their majors. It’s all about majors with Tiger.

“But I think it just boils down to if his body is capable of handling the wear and tear to prepare yourself for a tournament.

“Knowing him, he will work and get himself back in shape somehow.”