Despite not having finished many four-day PGA Tour events—he withdrew from the Genesis Invitational in February’s second round—Tiger Woods has arrived to compete at the Masters.
Tiger Woods showed up early on Monday to tee off at the Augusta National Golf Club, something he hasn’t done in a while.
The event’s five-time winner showed up on the range at 8 a.m. ET, giving early-arriving customers a true treat. The golfing legend used to routinely arrive just after sunrise as he refined his technique to become an unbeatable winner. Woods has, however, taken longer to get back up after the collision in which he almost lost his leg.
In recent years, a security guard on the range keeping customers under control was revealed. Woods frequently showed up to warm up and get his eye in around 11 a.m. ET. However, the unidentified employee, who has been employed at the location since 2016, said to Mirror Sport after his unexpected 8 a.m. arrival: “I’ve never seen him here that early.”
Usually, the Masters is the only major championship that Woods will strive to participate in. The 48-year-old pulled out of his third round last year because he was too sick to go on.
Since then, Woods has had surgery to fuse his ankles, and he has recovered slowly. Woods made a breakthrough at the Hero World Challenge, playing all four days. However, he was then forced to withdraw from The Genesis Invitational in February, which was a significant setback.
However, the 15-time major winner said that the flu was to blame rather than a medical condition. Still, it’s unclear how Woods will fare on Augusta’s undulating course. And judging from his range session, Woods may find it challenging.
The security guard said, “He looked like he was 48 years old,” in response to a question about his appearance. He appeared sluggish and elderly. I’m not betting on him.”
When Woods returned to competition at the Hero World Challenge in late November, he set a goal for himself to compete in one tournament per month. In Georgia, if Woods can finish all four rounds, he’ll have finished one-and-a-half in four.
“Maybe a monthly competition would be the ideal situation, in my opinion. Late last year in the Bahamas, Woods stated, “I think that’s realistic.” “Maybe at Genesis to start, and then something in March close to the Players.
“Once more, this is how we currently have it set up: there is one major event per month. It positions itself to do so. I have to prepare myself for all of that now. This week, in my opinion, is a significant step in that way.”
After practicing on the range, Woods went out with Will Zalatoris and played nine practice holes on the course. On 16, the two also participated in the yearly skip shot custom across the lake.
