Tiger Woods makes comeback at Nexus Cup with Will Zalatoris while Ernie Els makes bold Champions Tour request

Will Zalatoris, who is recovering from back surgery, spent time with Tiger Woods at the 2025 Nexus Cup. The event took place on September 8–9 at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.

Woods hosted the tournament, which featured 72 amateur golfers. It was his first public golf appearance since Achilles surgery in March 2025. Zalatoris later shared on Instagram, on September 13, that he loved supporting Woods and the TGR Foundation. He praised the foundation’s work with kids and its new projects.

Will Zalatoris joins Tiger Woods at 2025 Nexus Cup in New Jersey

The Nexus Cup is a team match play event run by the TGR Foundation. It invited 18 amateur teams from across the world.

PGA Tour players like Ben Griffin and Nick Dunlap joined in by hitting shots for the teams.Will Zalatoris joined Tiger Woods for a Q&A session during the event. He also spent time with guests and fans. The program included a fun game show with Woods and NBA star Steph Curry.

On Instagram, Zalatoris wrote: “Fun few days in NYC for Nexus Cup last weekend. Always fun supporting Tiger and the @tgrfound. Their labs around the country are changing thousands of kids’ lives, and I can’t wait to see Lulu’s Place as well as The Patch in Augusta come together in the near future.”

The Nexus Cup raised money for the TGR Foundation. The foundation was started by Woods in 1996. It focuses on education and STEM learning for underserved youth. The money from the event will go to these programs, which have already helped thousands of students.For Zalatoris, it was also a way to reconnect with golf after being away. He has not played full-time since his back surgery. He showed support for friends competing that same week at the Simmons Bank Open in Nashville.Also Read: What Time Is The Canelo Vs Crawford Fight? Date, Streaming Details And Start Time Tonight

Ernie Els pushes Tiger Woods to play on PGA Tour Champions at 50

Tiger Woods will turn 50 in December 2025. That makes him eligible to play on the PGA Tour Champions, the senior tour for golfers over 50.South African golf legend Ernie Els spoke about Woods earlier this month. In an interview with Golf Week, he said: “I’ve said, please come play… it can only be beneficial to him. He will get himself in golf shape. You can ride a cart without any shame… if there was one guy that should be able to drive a cart, it’s him… he can get his a* back in shape.”*Ernie Els believes Woods needs more competitive rounds. He said the Champions Tour would allow him to play with less pressure and stay in rhythm. Golf great Jack Nicklaus has also suggested that Woods could raise the profile of the tour.