The rumblings started in the past week when Tiger Woods was spotted playing a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club, the sport's most iconic course.
Then, he confirmed it on social media on Sunday.
It appears the legend is looking to make a comeback 14 months after fracturing his leg and suffering serious foot injuries in a devastating car accident.
It would certainly be a fitting place for Woods, now 46, to make his return. Augusta has been the site of some of his most dramatic moments, where his traditional final-round red polo somehow never seemed to clash with the victor's green jacket.
Woods has won 15 majors (second all-time to Jack Nicklaus' 18), including the Masters five times.
His first major win came at Augusta in 1997, when the then 21-year-old entered the final round with a nine-shot lead and proceeded to lap the field, beating runner-up Tom Kite by 12 strokes.
He won back-to-back green jackets in 2001 and 2002, took it again in 2005, then waited 14 years for a fifth title, holding off the trio of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele by one stroke in 2019.
But Woods hasn't even played in — let alone won — a regular PGA Tour event in two years, when he competed in the 2020 Masters.
And while Woods has a rich history at the Masters, the course itself might not lend itself to a productive return. Augusta is hilly, and carts are not allowed, so Woods will have to hoof it. But Woods' practice round could have been a way to test his leg, to see if he could walk the nearly 7,500-yard course.
Given all of these hurdles, can Woods actually contend at the Masters this year? It's a topic that Nick Wright tackled on his podcast, "What's Wright? with Nick Wright."
"Tiger has nothing left to prove to the world," Wright said. "I think Tiger, still, a tiny part of him is holding out hope that he can pass Jack [Nicklaus] with 18 majors. … Also, though, I think a tiny part of Tiger, and a large part of me, believes he could still win another Masters. Maybe that's insane."
Should Tiger Woods make a comeback?
Wright went on to outline some things that might be in Woods' favor.
"He knows the course so well, the fact that he won it a few years ago," he said. "And the way I look at Tiger is, is the way so many broadcasters look at Michael Jordan. Like I erase the flaws, only see the greatness. One of my two favorite athletes of all-time. I have more fond sports memories involving Tiger Woods than almost anybody."
As far as the rules go, there is no deadline for Woods to commit to playing in the Masters — he is allowed to play until he says he isn't. And Rory McIlroy said Woods is "doing everything he can" to see if he can play.
But nostalgia aside, can Woods actually compete at the Masters?
Those who track these things from a betting perspective are not optimistic. According to FOX Bet, Woods is well down the list of odds to win the event, at +10000 with the likes of Max Homa, Si Woo Kim, Thomas Pieters and others.
Jon Rahm is favored at +1000, followed by Justin Thomas (+1400) and Dustin Johnson (+1500).
Would you bet against Woods?
"He has something else to prove to himself," Wright said. "… If you're in the discussion for the greatest in the world at something, or the greatest to ever do something, you need it to be proven to you that that's no longer the case."
