Tiger Woods never strays too far from the public’s consciousness, especially when the Masters rolls around each spring.
He has won at the Masters, at Augusta five times. Becoming the youngest player ever to do so back in 1997. He was then the second oldest ever to win in 2019. With the latter of those feats being achieved after four back, and two knee surgeries.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat week 5 years ago he ended an 11-year major drought; an incredible victory that many regard to be the stand-alone accomplishment of his storied career. What Tiger Woods means to the Masters and vice-versa is something that can never be overstated.
Since that comeback win, as we all know, his health has only further been called into question- to put it lightly.
Embed from Getty ImagesTiger’s Troubles
His horrifying car accident in California in February 2021 left doctors contemplating an amputation of his injured leg. Whilst he dodged that bullet, the subsequent lifelong injuries that he sustained that day have led Tiger to what feels like the dusk of his professional career.
Earlier this year he claimed that he wished to play competitively once a month whilst he continues to get to grips with his surgically repaired ankle.
However, this week it will be his first outing since his dramatic withdrawal from the Genesis Invitational at Riviera back in February. That means that he’s only actually played one round of tournament golf this year- and that one ended up taking a huge toll on his physical well-being.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the wake of the last few months, fans are now left to wonder whether we will ever see Tiger Woods even make it around 18 holes of a golf course in a competitive event ever again. With all this considered, his Tuesday presser was always going to arouse some curiosity within the golfing world.
The Press Conference
When probed on Tuesday about the week that lay ahead; the main topic of discussion, predictably, was his health.
One might presume that Tiger would be a little fed up with answering all the same injury-related questions. However, he was in good spirits- and it was wonderful to see.
He answered the questions wholeheartedly, admitting to the fact that he is struggling, and that this week will be a tough test.
Woods stated, “I hurt every day”. “I ache every day and I prefer it warm, humid and hot”. “Every shot that’s not on the tee box is a challenge,” Woods said. “Once we start the hole it’s a bit of a challenge.”
“The body…. The things that just flare up and with the training that we have to do at home, it changes on a daily basis. Some days I feel really good, other days, not so much.”
Tiger Woods agreed that his body was not quite “ready” at Riviera in February. Therefore, he was forced to skip the Players Championship and prepare solely for Augusta.
Despite all the health talk, he remained animated throughout, invigorated by just merely being there playing at Augusta again.
Will Tiger Be Any Good?
For the sake of discussion, let’s say his fitness will hold up. That he can physically get through 36 or even 72 holes. A new question entirely needs answering:
Is there any chance he will be any good?
At the end of his press conference, Woods went on to say, “If everything comes together, I think I can get one more”.
A statement like that, from a man like him, is more than enough to give every golf fan goosebumps on the spot.
He’s back, he’s ready to compete for a title that would surely surpass his win in 2019.
The comeback of all comebacks!
However, unfortunately, we really ought to stem our excitement. Truth be told he’s said before that he’ll only compete if he feels he can win, so in that case, he’s just sticking true to his word by claiming he can do it.
So, I’m not actually sure if what he says has any bearing on whether he can do it.
It’s also not like we have any idea of how he’s hitting the ball or how he’s scoring.
On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday however, he managed to get out onto the course and play practice rounds with Will Zalatoris and then Justin Thomas and Fred Couples.
When Zalatoris was asked about how Tiger played during their short round on Monday, he replied: “He played great today… He outdrove me a couple of times so there was some chirping going on. So, you know, he looks great…it’s pretty amazing to see how good he’s swinging it.”
Interesting
Couples then went on to reinforce some of the things that Zalatoris said a day prior when stating: “He said his back is doing okay. Last year it was so bad that a lot of things just wore him down. … But this year he looks strong… I think he looks really, really good.”
Importantly, Couples made the claim that “I think the last thing he’s thinking about is making the cut”. This tells us that whilst Tiger might tell us every year that he’s only here to win- this year he might believe it too.
If Tiger believes he can win, it doesn’t necessarily mean we ought to believe him. Besides, with the plethora of talent surrounding him in this field- it’s hard to see him outplaying someone like Scottie Scheffler or Rahm.
However, if he competes in any kind of manner, it’s more than enough to excite me to no end.
He’s also not missed a cut at Augusta since 1996, and I don’t suppose he’ll intend on butting that trend this week.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos