AUGUST, Ga. – Tiger Woods said, for now, he plans to play this week at the Masters.
The five-time champion at Augusta National made the announcement Tuesday morning. He will play nine more practice holes on Wednesday before making a final decision but will play with the intention of playing on Thursday.
“Right now,” Woods said, “I feel like I’m going to compete.”
There have been many signs in recent days that Woods has decided it’s time to play again. He went to Augusta National for a practice round last week, then returned on Sunday – saying he would be “decisive on game time” – and Monday for more. On Tuesday morning, with the weather forecast to be bad, he spent a lot of time going to the practice areas.
“It’s great to be back,” Woods said.
Woods played in December at the PNC Challenge, a 36-hole scramble on a flat court in Florida, where he and his son, Charlie, finished second behind. John Daly and his son. Woods was allowed to use a cart during that event, and when those rounds were over, he flatly dismissed any suggestion that his bout was ready again.
“I can’t compete with these guys right now, no,” Woods said on December 19. “It’s going to take a lot of work to get to where I feel I can compete at. [with/against] these people and at a high level. “
About three and a half months later, Woods seemed to feel differently. If he competes, he will attend the 24th Masters; he finished first of the year 12 times in the previous 23 appearances.
Thursday’s opening round will mark Woods’ first time playing against the world’s best players since November 15, 2020, which was the final round of the Masters that was delayed by the pandemic that year.
He underwent his fifth back surgery two months later and was still recovering on February 23, 2021, when he crashed his SUV, crossing the divider on an offshore coastal road. umbrella in Los Angeles and down the hillside.
Woods’ injuries from that collision were so severe that doctors considered amputating his right leg before reattaching the limb by placing a rod in the tibia and using screws and pins to further stabilize the injury in the leg. ankles and feet.
“It’s been a tough, tough year…but here we are,” Woods said.
