Is Tiger Woods ready to make a comeback?
Fourteen months after fracturing his leg and suffering serious foot injuries in a single-car accident, Woods was reportedly able to play a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday.
The 46-year-old Woods was joined by his son Charlie, as well as PGA Tour pro Justin Thomas, who is a close friend of Woods'.
Next week's Masters has Woods listed as one of the 91 participants, though he has yet to make a formal decision on whether he will play.
Woods has won 15 majors (second all-time to Jack Nicklaus' 18), including the Masters five times. But he hasn't played in a regular PGA Tour event since the 2020 Masters.
Speculation began to pick up when Phil Mickelson was removed from the list of players who plan to compete in the event, which starts April 7. Woods was still on the active invited players list, and when asked a week ago for guidance on a decision, his agent said it was too early.
Unlike regular tournaments, players don’t have a commitment deadline. As a former champion, Woods can play the event every year if he wishes. It’s up to him to tell Augusta National whether he will play, and that can happen all the way up until the start of the tournament.
Woods was seen playing at The Medalist near his home in Jupiter Island, Florida, over the weekend. He presumably was at Augusta National to see how his legs could hold up on one of the toughest walks in golf. The course has elevations on nearly every hole.
He played in December in the PNC Championship with his son — they finished runner-up — in a 36-hole tournament in Florida where Woods was able to ride in a cart and the format was a scramble.
"But to be able to be out here and play, call it six rounds of golf, a practice round, pro-am, four competitive days, it’s the cumulative effect of all that. I’m not able to do that yet. I’m still working on getting to that point," Woods said six weeks ago at Riviera, where he was host of the Genesis Invitational.
During an interview on CBS Sports that weekend, Woods gave no timetable on a return and said he wouldn’t want to show up just to play.
"I need to feel that I’m confident that I can beat these guys, and I got to do the legwork at home. It’s on me," he said.
Woods has been seen moving well but slowly in his few public appearances, such as at Riviera or three weeks ago when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
His last Masters victory, in 2019, followed four surgeries on his lower back and was among the most remarkable comebacks in sports. Later in the year, he won the Zozo Championship in Japan for his 82nd career PGA Tour title, tying Sam Snead for the all-time record.
He played only nine times during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. And then Feb. 23, while recovering from a fifth back surgery, he drove his SUV over a median and it tumbled down a hillside in the coastal suburbs of Los Angeles.
Doctors said he shattered tibia and fibula bones in his right leg in multiple locations. Those were stabilized by a rod in the tibia. A combination of screws and pins were used to stabilize additional injuries in the ankle and foot.
Woods has said amputation was discussed at one point.
Whether he chooses to play at Augusta National does not affect the field. The Masters is an invitational and does not have an alternate list.
