Tiger Woods Plans to Play at Masters
Golf Legend, on Mend From Horrific Accident, to Make Final Decision on Wednesday
Woods Intent on Teeing it up at Augusta National
Just when you thought the Masters couldn’t have any more drama, Tiger Woods kicked it up on Tuesday.
Woods held a press conference at Augusta National and said he plans on playing in the first major of the season, which starts on Thursday.
This would be the first event Woods has played in since his horrific automobile accident a year ago February outside Los Angeles.
“As of right now,” Woods said to the golf media on Tuesday morning, “I feel like I’m going to play.”
Woods was asked if he believes he can win this week. “I do,” he said.
Tiger Woods will tee off first round at 10:34 am Thursday with Joaquin Niemann and Louis Oosthuizen and at 1:41 pm Friday @TheMasters
— NYPost_Cannizzaro (@MarkCannizzaro) April 5, 2022
The challenge facing Woods isn’t hitting the golf ball. Rather, it’s trying to navigate walking Augusta National, which has many hills and ups and downs that would test most 46-year-olds, let alone one who almost lost his leg more than a year ago
“I can hit it just fine,” Woods said. “I don’t have any qualms about what I can do physically from a golf standpoint. It’s now, walking’s the hard part. This is not an easy walk to begin with. Now given the condition that my leg is in, it gets a little more difficult. And 72 holes is a long road. It’s going to be a tough challenge and a challenge that I’m up for.”
Woods is seeking his sixth Masters title, looking to equal Jack Nicklaus. He is second to Nicklaus with 15 Grand Slam championships.
In an understatement, Woods said, “It’s been a tough, tough year and lot of stuff that I had to deal with that I don’t wish on anyone, but here we are at Masters week.”
Woods has won five Masters, earning his first Green Jacket in 1997 at age 21 and his latest, in a career comeback, at 43 in 2019. Only Nicklaus has won more Green Jackets, and only Nicklaus has more professional major victories than Woods with 18.
The 46-year-old Woods is tied for first in career PGA Tour wins (82) with Sam Snead. Woods has made 23 career starts in the Masters, where he has 14 top-10 finishes and has missed just one cut, as an amateur in 1996. The Cypress, Calif., native is nicknamed “Tiger” after a soldier who was a friend of his late father, Earl Woods, in Vietnam.
Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in March.
Tiger Woods on his status for the Masters: “As of right now, I feel like I am going to play.” pic.twitter.com/srUztCj16i
— ESPN (@espn) April 5, 2022
