Woods: 'As of right now, I feel like I am going to play' in Masters
It appears there'll be another chapter of the Tiger Woods story at Augusta National this year.
Woods met with the media on Tuesday and came close to giving a full commitment that he'll play in the Masters this week. It would be his first official PGA TOUR event since suffering serious injuries to his right leg and foot in a car accident last February.
"As of right now, I feel like I am going to play," the five-time Masters champion said during his press conference. "I'm going to play nine more holes tomorrow. My recovery has been good. I've been very excited about how I've recovered each and every day. That's been the challenge."
His words on Tuesday represent an astonishing turnaround. The damage from his accident was so severe that Woods said doctors nearly had to amputate his leg.
As the 46-year-old continued his lengthy rehab, he said the injuries would prevent him from competing full time on the PGA TOUR ever again.
Woods made his initial return in an exhibition event, the PNC Championship, alongside his son Charlie in December. While he may have lacked some distance off the tee, Woods showed flashes of his usual brilliance in the duo's second-place showing.
Despite that performance, it still appeared to be a long shot that Woods would return for the Masters in April. He skipped the entire California swing and the Florida events, including The Players Championship in early March.
Golf Twitter reached a fever pitch earlier in the week when flight trackers showed Woods' private jet making a trip from his home in South Florida to Augusta. It was later reported he played a practice round at the legendary course alongside his son Charlie and Justin Thomas, fueling speculation that he would make a stunning return at the event.
That speculation became reality when Woods released a statement on Sunday saying it would be a game-time decision whether he would play in the event. He arrived on Sunday afternoon and immediately got in a range session and nine holes before dark.
He was back at the course Monday for more practice, testing how his leg could hold up on the challenging walk around the undulating layout. That was Woods' biggest issue with participating this week.
"It's just a matter of what my body is able to do the next day and the recovery. That's the hard part," Woods said. "We push it and try to recover the best we possibly can that night and see how we're feeling the next morning."
Woods' history at Augusta is well-documented, as the five-time champion trails only Jack Nicklaus in career green jackets. His first major win came at the Masters with a 12-shot romp at the 1997 event, and his completion of the "Tiger Slam" came with a victory at the 2001 tournament.
However, perhaps his best showing at the iconic event came in 2019 when he somehow emerged victorious in his return from multiple knee and back surgeries. It was his first major championship in 11 years and raised the total for his career to 15, just three behind Nicklaus for most all time.
It's that history that has Woods brimming with confidence despite the obvious challenges he faces this week. When asked if he could win a sixth green jacket, he offered a direct response.
"I do," Woods said. "I can hit it just fine. I don't have any qualms about what I can do physically from a golf standpoint. Walking is the hard part. This is not an easy walk, to begin with. Now, given the conditions my leg is in, it's even more difficult. 72 holes is a long road. It's going to be a tough challenge and a challenge that I'm up for."
It seemed incredibly unlikely we would ever see a comeback story like 2019 in golf ever again. But if Woods somehow captures another green jacket this time around, it will arguably be the greatest return in the history of sports.