Tiger Woods has not completed many four-day PGA Tour events, withdrawing in the second round of the Genesis Invitational in February, but he has arrived to compete at the Masters
Tiger Woods arrived bright and early to practise at the Augusta National Golf Club on Monday, something he’s not done for quite some time.
The five-time winner of the event arrived at 8am ET on the range, with early arriving patrons getting a real treat. Getting in just after sunrise used to be quite common for the golfing legend, as he honed his game to become an unstoppable winner. But since the crash in which he nearly lost his leg Woods has been slower to rise.
A security guard on the range keeping patrons in check revealed in recent years Woods often arrived around 11am ET to warm up and get his eye in. But following his surprise 8am entrance, the unnamed staffer, who has worked at the venue since 2016, told Mirror Sport: “I’ve never seen him here that early.”
The Masters is often the one major, and tournament, Woods will fight to play in above all others. Last year, the 48-year-old withdrew during his third round simply unable to continue.
Since then Woods has undergone ankle fusion surgery and has made a slow recovery to the course. Making a comeback at the Hero World Challenge, Woods managed to play all four days. But in a major setback, he was then forced to withdraw from The Genesis Invitational in February.
Though, the 15-time major winner declared this was down to the flu as opposed a physical ailment. It does, however, still remain to be seen how Woods will cope at Augusta’s hilly course. And if his range session is anything to go by, it could be tricky for Tiger Woods.
When asked how he looked, the security guard replied: “He looked like he was 48 years old. He looked old and slow. I wouldn’t bet on him.”
When making his comeback at the Hero World Challenge in late November, Woods set himself a goal of playing one tournament a month. If he can complete all four rounds in Georgia, Woods would have successfully complete one-and-a-half in four.
“I think that the best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month. I think that’s realistic,” Woods said in the Bahamas late last year. “You would have to start with maybe at Genesis and then something in March near the Players.
“Again, we have it set up right now the biggest events are one per month. It sets itself up for that. Now, I need to get myself ready for all that. I think this week is a big step in that direction.”
Tiger Woods played nine practice holes on the course after his range work, heading out with Will Zalatoris. The pair also took part in the annual skip shot tradition across the lake on 16.
