TJ Oshie is back on the links for more golf this summer at this weekend’s American Century Championship.
Oshie is a regular at the star-studded event but his participation this year was in some doubt after he told Monumental Sports Network’s Tarik El-Bashir last October that he was giving up golf recreationally so that he could remain as healthy as possible for the rest of his hockey career.
Oshie made that statement after sitting out of a Capitals players-only golf outing on Maryland’s Eastern Shore during the preseason. The ACC is his second big golf outing this summer after he teed off in the Drive Fore Kids charity golf tournament at the Falmouth Country Club in Maine in late June.
Through the first round of this year’s ACC, Oshie sits tied for 41st on the leaderboard with former NFLer Andrew Whitworth, Philadelphia 76ers guard Kyle Lowry, former NBAer Chandler Parsons, and 2024 Stanley Cup champion Matthew Tkachuk, one of Oshie’s first-day group mates. Longtime NHL forward Joe Pavelski teed off with Oshie and Tkachuk and is one of the favorites in the tournament, currently tied for third.
Oshie’s return to golf comes after he revealed this spring that he would step away from hockey if he couldn’t find “an answer and a fix” to his recurring back problems. The veteran winger still seemed just as unsure of where he stands with his back during a recent interview on NHL Network.
“I’m feeling better for sure,” Oshie said then. “The hand is getting there, which isn’t that big of a concern, but the back is kind of a different story. I’m still grinding away. I’m going to start really training here soon and it looks to be a matter of whether or not I can get my body healthy enough to compete when Training Camp rolls around.
“I’d obviously love to keep playing. I still enjoy coming to the rink every day. I feel like I still can hang in there with the young bucks out there. I hope to be back next season. If not though, super happy and proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish.”
Oshie’s back has kept him out of large parts of his last few seasons, even forcing him to make midseason trips to Minnesota to see a chiropractor. Oshie has missed 92 games due to injury over the last three campaigns, suiting up in 154 of 246 possible games.
Capitals president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan has said the franchise will leave the final decision to TJ on whether he plays in 2024-25. “We’re going to support Osh in whatever way he chooses to go.”
Between Oshie’s return to golf and Washington’s aggressive offseason acquisitions, the Capitals and Oshie may have already moved on. The team is currently $14.2 million over the salary cap before accounting for players set to start the year on LTIR. Nicklas Backstrom’s $9.2 million cap hit will cover most of that space, while Oshie’s $5.75 million would cover the rest.
John Carlson is also participating in this year’s ACC. The Capitals’ top defenseman is performing slightly better than Oshie, sitting in a tie for 35th place. Carlson will be paired with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and Fox News host/Capitals fan, Bret Baier on day two.
Oshie is set to group up with Tkachuk and former Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth.
