Live updates as Tiger Woods speaks to media at Hero World Challenge

Tiger Woods has his sights set on playing one tournament a month, and he believes he can still win at the game's highest level.

Woods conducted a press conference Tuesday morning at the Hero World Challenge, his first public media availability since the Masters in April. Woods engaged in a half-hour back-and-forth with the assembled media at Albany, Bahamas, with topics ranging from his health to his caddie situation to the PGA TOUR Policy Board.

The Woods-hosted Hero will be his first competitive start since the Masters. Woods underwent right ankle surgery in April, a subtalar fusion procedure to alleviate arthritis from a broken talus bone suffered in a February 2021 car crash. Woods’ surgery followed his Masters withdrawal during the third round, having struggled to navigate Augusta National’s hilly terrain on a rainy Saturday.

Read below for minute-by-minute updates from Woods' press conference Tuesday in Albany, Bahamas.

10:29 a.m. ET: What is the bedrock of the PGA TOUR? Woods speaks to the importance of preserving pathways to the TOUR, as he had back in 1996 as a newly minted pro.

"We have to make sure that we have access to the game ... ensure that we protect our schedule and our TOUR and take care of the players," he said. "Without the players, there is no TOUR. How do we take care of them in a better way, not just financially, but how do we have the best competitive atmosphere and competitive events, and what does that look like? What do they have to give up to have that, and what investors are looking for to invest in our TOUR."

10:25 a.m. ET: Does Woods think he can still win? "Absolutely," he said.

He says he has played a lot of holes of golf, but that competition is another matter. He was hungry to get back. "I love competing; I love playing. I miss being out here with the guys ... and the overall banter," he said. "What drives me is that I love to compete. There will come a point in time, I haven't come around to it fully yet, where I won't be able to win again ... when it comes, I will walk away."

10:22 a.m. ET: Woods speaks to the importance of assuming a role on the PGA TOUR Policy Board and says he understands Rory McIlroy's decision to resign earlier this month (Jordan Spieth replaces McIlroy).

"We have to protect what the TOUR is, and the integrity of that, and the players," Woods said. "I understand why Rory made that decision. We put a lot of time into the Delaware meeting ... he was in contention every tournament he played in, and he was a spokesman at the same time. I totally understand it."

10:20 a.m. ET: Woods refers to "one tournament a month" as a reasonable goal moving forward. He references The Genesis Invitational in February and THE PLAYERS Championship in March as potential targets.

10:17 a.m. ET: Woods notes a potential silver lining in the one-year delay to 2025 of TGL, the tech-infused golf league he co-owns with Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley.

"It was moved very quickly and we can take advantage of the time delay," he said. "I think we can do it right, all the parties involved think it is going to be the best thing for it. There are so many partners involved for this league that have so much brand experience."

10:16 a.m. ET: This week, Rob McNamara, Vice President of TGR Ventures, will caddie for Woods. The 82-time TOUR winner isn't sure of his caddie lineup for 2024, though.

"He can't play hooky that often," Woods quipped of his son Charlie. Woods is curious to see what 72 holes looks like on his body and his game, and he will use that information to set up his schedule for next year.

10:14 a.m. ET: Woods notes the Hero's December timing as a good opportunity to make a positive step competitively into 2024.

"The timing of the event, with the injuries that I've had, the way the event has been with a smaller field size ... at the end of the year, which sets me up for expectations going into the following year," he said. "It's a nice landing spot, a good springboard into the following year."

10:09 a.m. ET: Woods says that he would eventually need to either have his ankle replaced or fused, and that doctors were surprised about the level of force he was willing to put on his ankle, hitting drivers and such. He chose the subtalar fusion.

"The procedures I have done the last couple years ... at some point in time, I was going to have to get my ankle replaced or fused," Woods said. "That timetable was sped up. They weren't expecting me to put as many forces into the ankle, hitting drivers, the doctors were just surprised by that ... the way to fix that was to either get it replaced or fused, and we chose the fusion. The next part ... the six months of doing nothing, that's the hard part. The first couple months were really rough."

10:05 a.m. ET: Woods says, "I'm just as curious as you all to see what happens," regarding his competitive prospects this week.

"I don't have any of the pain that I had at Augusta in the ankle," he said, but noted that he has taken the load in other areas to compensate. Overall, the surgery was a success, he said. He isn't concerned about walking this week, he added.

10:02 a.m. ET: Woods takes the stage with Dr. Pawan Munjal, who announces a Hero World Challenge prize fund increase to $4.5 million, up from $3.5 million.