Tiger Woods returns to the fore at the Masters

Golf

Published: 07 Apr. 2022, 17:19

Tiger Woods returns to the fore at the Masters

Tiger Woods gestures during a practice round prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Wednesday in Augusta, Georgia. [AFP/YONHAP]

Golf legend Tiger Woods is back on the PGA Tour at the first major of the 2022 season, the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Woods returns to the Tour for the first time in 14 months, having last competed at the Masters Open in November, 2020. A lot has happened since then.

"I will be heading up to Augusta today to continue my preparation and practice," Woods tweeted Sunday. "It will be a game-time decision on whether I compete."

Woods, a five-time Masters champion and 82-time PGA champion, missed the 2021 Masters after breaking his right leg in multiple places in a potentially career-ending car crash on Feb. 23, 2021.

Woods has only publicly appeared on a golf course once since the accident, competing in the PNC Father-Son Tournament with his son Charlie last December. Despite hitting drivers longer than 300 yards, that tournament was a two-day event unlike the usual four-day PGA events and he needed to use a cart to get around the golf course. Using a cart is not permitted in the PGA.

Still, eager fans took that December tournament as a sign that Woods is mounting a comeback. His return to Augusta National last week to play a practice round with world No. 9 Justin Thomas suggested that really was the case.

Charlie Woods, right, sinks a putt on the second green while being watched by father Tiger Woods during the second round of the PNC Championship golf tournament on Dec. 19, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. [AP/YONHAP]

Tiger Woods plays a shot on the 18th hole during a practice round prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Wedensday in Augusta, Georgia. [AFP/YONHAP]

Despite his devastating accident and falling in the ranks to world No. 973, a Woods appearance will never be purely ceremonial. He competes to win, and only to win.

"I do," he replied when asked at a news conference on Tuesday whether he thinks he can win the Masters.

Augusta National is a hilly course, prompting concerns about Woods recent injuries. That and the weather will determine if he will continue to play, make the cut, maybe even make it to the top.

"I can hit it just fine," Woods said Tuesday. "I don't have any qualms about what I can do physically from a golf standpoint. Walking is the hard part."

In this file photo taken on April 14, 2019, Tiger Woods celebrates after sinking his putt on the 18th green to win during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. [AFP/YONHAP]

That Woods is a strong golfer doesn't need to be stated, but the very best of his performances have been at Augusta National, where he went 12 strokes ahead to win the 1997 Masters at the age of 21. Even when he injured his back in 2019, he was still able to clinch his fifth Masters trophy and wear that all-important the green jacket.

This will be Woods' 21st time at the Masters, at 14 of which he landed in the top 10.

"It's up to me to endure the pain and all that, but I felt like I could still do this," Woods said. "I love competing, and I feel like if I can still compete at the highest level, I'm going to, and if I feel like I can still win, I'm going to play. If I feel like I can't, then you won't see me out here."

Im Sung-jae plays a shot from a bunker on the second hole during a practice round prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday in Augusta, Georgia. [AFP/YONHAP]

Three Korean golfers join Woods at Augusta National, Im Sung-jae, Kim Si-woo and Lee Kyoung-hoon.

World No. 8 Im is the top Korean golfer in the field and will be hoping for third time lucky after he finished tied for second at his first Masters in 2020.

Im's stellar performance was the best ever by an Asian golfer at the time, before Hideki Matsuyama of Japan claimed a historic victory in the 2021 edition.

"It will be my third Masters," said Im in a pre-tournament interview. "I was very surprised when I played for the first time and finished tied for second. For this year, my first goal will be to make the cut with decent scores and see how I can work my way up in rounds three and four."

Im began the 2021-22 Tour on a strong note, winning the Shriners Children's Open last October and posting three other top-10s and two top-20s through January.

However, since a tied-for-sixth finish at the Farmers Insurance Open, Im has largely been missing from the leaderboards, tying for 20th place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March as his best result over the past two months.

"The Masters has always been my dream event, the event I always wanted to play since I was a boy," said Im. "Finishing runner-up, I surprised myself. I felt a bit of pressure with the golf world watching but I was able to overcome it. Overall, that first experience was special."

Lee Kyoung-hoon tees off on the first hole of the final practice round for the 2022 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia on Tuesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Kim Si-woo hits out of a bunker on the second hole during the final practice round for the 2022 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia on Tuesday. [EPA/YONHAP]

Lee makes his debut at the Masters after claiming his first PGA title at the AT&T Byron Nelson last year, while 2017 Players Championship winner Kim makes his sixth successive Masters appearance. Kim has three top-25 finishes, with tied for 12th last season being his best finish so far.

"This is the tournament that all players want to play, and is one of the greatest major events in golf," said Kim in a pre-tournament interview. "I watched all the Masters tournaments on TV since I was a kid. So, I really wanted to play in this all the time."

Lee will tee off at 8:44 a.m., Kim at 9:17 a.m., Woods at 10:43 a.m. and Im tees at 12: 57 p.m. on Thursday, local time.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]