Tiger Woods says, for now anyway, he's planning to play this week in the Masters, a little more than a year after nearly losing a leg in a car crash. (More Sports News)
Tiger Woods, a five-time Masters champion, made the announcement Tuesday morning. He will play more practice holes before making a final decision.
Tiger Woods says, for now anyway, he's planning to play this week in the Masters, a little more than a year after nearly losing a leg in a car crash. (More Sports News)
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 be doing so with the intention of playing Thursday.
바카라As of right now," Woods said, 바카라I feel like I'm going to play."
Woods was asked if he believes he can win this week. 바카라I do,바카라 he said.
바카라I can hit it just fine,바카라 Woods added.
바카라I 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.바카라
There had been plenty of signals in recent days that Woods was on the cusp of deciding it was time to play again. He came to Augusta National for a practice round last week, then returned Sunday 바카라 saying he'd be 바카라a game-time decision" 바카라 and Monday for more. On Tuesday morning, with bad weather in the forecast, he spent plenty of time in the practice areas.
바카라It's great to be back,바카라 Woods said.
He's scheduled to tee off Thursday at 10:34 a.m. with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann. That threesome plays again Friday starting at 1:41 p.m.
Woods played in December at the PNC Challenge, a 36-hole scramble on a flat Florida course where he and his son Charlie finished second to John Daly and his son. Woods was allowed to use a cart in that event, and when those rounds were over he flatly dismissed any notion that his game was tour-ready again.
바카라I can't compete against these guys right now, no," Woods said on Dec. 19. 바카라It's going to take a lot of work to get to where I feel like I can compete at these guys and be at a high level."
About 3-1/2 months later, Woods apparently feels differently. If he plays, he'll be in the Masters for the 24th time; he's finished in the top five 12 times in his previous 23 appearances.
바카라I love competing,바카라 Woods said.
바카라I 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. But if I feel like I can't, then you won't see me out here.바카라
Thursday's opening round would mark the first time Woods competes against the world's best players since Nov. 15, 2020, which was the final round of that year's pandemic-delayed Masters.
He had his fifth back surgery two months later and was still recovering from that on Feb. 23, 2021 when he crashed his SUV over a median on a suburban coastal road in Los Angeles and down the side of a hill.
Woods' injuries from that crash were so severe that doctors considered right leg amputation, before reassembling the limb by placing a rod in the tibia and using screws and pins to stabilize additional injuries in the ankle and foot.
바카라It's been a tough, tough year ... but here we are," Woods said.