Tiger Woods 'going to play' at the Masters

Tiger Woods is greeted by Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tiger Woods came into the interview room on Tuesday morning and said the only two things anyone wanted to hear regarding the only two questions every golf fan wanted answers to.

Do you think you will play the Masters Tournament this week?

“As of right now, I feel I’m going to play,” he said.

Does he think he can win the Masters this week?

“I do.” 

Boom.

Thirteen months since Woods nearly lost his right leg in a devastating single-car crash in California and left his life and the quality of it in jeopardy, he’s preparing to play his first official competitive event since the 2020 Masters played in November during the pandemic.

As recently as February, Woods downplayed expectations of his return timetable and seemed doubtful about trying to negotiate to hills and slopes of Augusta National on an ankle held together by pins. The idea he might be able to return this week seemed ludicrous in the months following his accident.

“At that time I was still in a hospital bed, and I was out for the next three months. I never left that hospital bed even to see my living room for three months,” he said. “So that was a tough road. To finally get out of that where I wasn't in a wheelchair or crutches and walking and still had more surgeries ahead of me, to say that I was going to be here playing and talking to you guys again, it would have been very unlikely.” 

Woods flew to Augusta National last Tuesday and played 27 holes – including the par-3 course with his 13-year-old son, Charlie. Then he arrived at Augusta on Sunday night focusing on preparing to make a “game-time decision” about whether or not he could play. He played the back nine on Sunday and the front in front of raucous crowds on Monday afternoon.

He spent Tuesday morning working on the practice range before approaching storms closed the course. He intends to play nine more holes Wednesday and be ready to tee it up Thursday at 10:34am (3.34pm, Irish) with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann.

“We've worked hard to get to this point, to get to this opportunity to walk the grounds, test it out, and see if I can do this,” he said. “It's been a tough, tough year and a lot of stuff that I had to deal with that I don't wish on anyone, but here we are, Masters week.” 

Clearly Woods is happy with the state of his golf game and wants to play, but it’s his stamina and ability to endure pain in his leg and back “each and every day” after walking and competing on a golf course with few level lies that will be the deciding factor.

“I've had to endure pain before,” he said, alluding to his multiple back surgeries that caused him to miss substantial playing time. “This is different obviously. This is a lot more traumatic, what has transpired to my leg. We've had to put a lot of work.

“As of right now, I feel like I am going to play, as of right now. I'm going to play nine more holes tomorrow. My recovery has been good. I've been very excited about how I've recovered each and every day, and that's been the challenge. That's why I came up here and tested it out for 27 holes because we played the par-3 course.

“But it's about the recovery. How am I going to get all the swelling out and recover for the next day? My team has been fantastic and worked very hard. So we've got another day of nine more holes and then come game time.” 

When game time comes, Woods’ self-belief in his ability to contend hasn’t wavered. It’s that belief that brought him all the way back from repeated physical and emotional setbacks to win his first major in 11 years at the 2019 Masters – the last time the season’s first major was played in front of a full cast of patrons before the pandemic.

“I can hit it just fine. I don't have any qualms about what I can do physically from a golf standpoint,” Woods said. “Walking is the hard part. This is normally not an easy walk to begin with. Now given the conditions that my leg is in, it gets even more difficult.

“You know, 72 holes is a long road, and it's going to be a tough challenge and a challenge that I'm up for.” 

Rory McIlroy has played with Woods down in south Florida and wouldn’t be surprised if Tiger’s name flashes on the leaderboards this week.

“I've spent a little bit of time with him at home, and the golf is there,” McIlroy said. “He's hitting it well. He's chipping well. He's sharp. It's just the physical demand of getting around 72 holes here this week. That's probably the question mark. But the golf game is there. So, would I be surprised? No, I'm not surprised at anything he does anymore.” 

At age 46, Woods has been willing to put himself through the arduous process of recovery once again to keep competing – even if it’s on a much more selective and limited basis. 

All the knee surgeries and back surgeries and rehab doesn’t compare to what he’s gone through to try to get himself ready to play this week. It’s not as simple as rolling out of bed and heading to the golf course anymore.

“It's just a matter of what my body's able to do the next day and the recovery. That's the hard part,” he said. “Yes, we push it and try and recover the best we possibly can that night and see how it is the next morning. Then all the activations and going through that whole process again, and you warm it up, and then you warm it back down, or test it out, and then you've got to cool it back down. Then you've got to do that day in and day out.” 

Still he has the competitive fire to still play and try to break his tie with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour wins and perhaps close the gap on Jack Nicklaus’ 18 career majors.

“I love competing, and I feel like if I can still compete at the highest level, I'm going to, and if I feel like I can still win, I'm going to play,” he said. “But if I feel like I can't, then you won't see me out here. You guys know me better than that.

“I don't show up to an event unless I think I can win it. So that's the attitude I've had. There will be a day when it won't happen, and I'll know when that is.” 

Thankfully, the day hasn’t arrived.