The Masters are under a fortnight away, and Tiger Woods can break a tournament record by making the cut at Augusta for the 24th consecutive time in his 26th appearance.
Tiger Woods, aged 48, recently engaged in a practice round at Augusta less than a fortnight before the commencement of the Masters tournament.
He had not participated in competitive play since pulling out after six holes of the second round at the Genesis Invitational in mid-February due to illness. However, earlier this month, the 15-time major champion made his comeback to golf by participating in the Seminole Pro-Member event with his friend and business partner Rory McIlroy.
In contrast to the second-ranked player in the world, Woods opted out of participating in the Arnold Palmer Invitational or The Players Championship. In a more recent development, he engaged in a round of golf with Yasir Al-Rummayan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, in The Bahamas prior to the latest discussions regarding the merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
Subsequently, Woods embarked on an Augusta scouting mission as his Gulfstream G550 jet headed north, as indicated by flight trackers.
Sports Illustrated later revealed that he teed off with club chairman Fred Ridley and Justin Thomas. Woods is set to compete in his 26th tournament appearance, marking his second event of the year.
If he makes the cut, the five-time Masters champion would surpass Gary Player and Fred Couples for the most consecutive made cuts in competition history. Woods has achieved this feat 24 times in a row, beginning in 1997 when he claimed his first Green Jacket. The only time he missed the cut was in 1996, following a tie for 41st place the year before he turned professional.
He is expected to make a comeback this year, nearly thirty years later. Having expressed his intention to participate in an event each month, Woods seems determined to compensate for not fulfilling that goal in March, except for the Seminole event.
“Playing once a month sounds like a reasonable plan,” Woods mentioned in the previous year. “It allows me a few weeks to recuperate and a week to prepare. Perhaps I can find my rhythm.”
Regaining that repetition is likely behind the pre-tournament visit to a course he knows as well as any. Woods is unlikely to turn down any opportunity for a round at Augusta.
It is approaching a year since he acknowledged before the previous Masters that he did not know how many more he had in him. Days later, Woods withdrew midway through the tournament due to injury before undergoing fusion surgery on his arthritic right ankle the following month.
However, at the beginning of this year, he declared himself “free from pain as he entered the Genesis tournament.” Woods clarified, “I no longer experience any discomfort in my ankle – the bones are no longer rubbing against each other.
“However, it is important to note that the situation has changed – other areas of my body now bear the burden, similar to how my back is fused, and as a result, other parts of my body have had to endure the strain.” He faced back spasms during his return to the Tour at Riviera and later fell ill.
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