Tiger Woods heading to Augusta, says playing in 2022 Masters a ‘game-time decision’

Tiger Woods is heading to Augusta Nationwide Sunday however says his attainable participation within the 2022 Masters will probably be a “game-time determination.”

The five-time champion on Sunday tweeted that he was touring to Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership to proceed his “preparation and follow” amid rising hypothesis about him competing within the match, which begins Thursday. 

Woods has been seen on the golf course a number of occasions lately, and he performed on the PNC Championship in December. However he has but to compete in an occasion this 12 months and has mentioned he wouldn’t compete on the PGA Tour full time.

Final Tuesday, golf followers and web sleuths appeared to trace the actions of Woods’ personal jet, with Eureka Earth tweeting a picture of Woods’ aircraft apparently touchdown at Augusta Regional Airport.

After touching down, Woods performed a follow spherical at Augusta to gauge how his physique reacted to strolling the course, Sports activities Illustrated reported. Woods arrived on the course along with his son, Charlie, they usually later had been joined by golfer Justin Thomas in Tiger’s practice-round group.

Rory McIlroy, a four-time main champion who was at Augusta Tuesday, mentioned having Woods again within the fold can be nice for the game. 

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy of Northern Eire stroll throughout the seventeenth gap throughout the second spherical of the Genesis Open at Riviera Nation Membership Feb. 16, 2018, in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
(Warren Little/Getty Photographs)

“I feel for golf and for the Masters match and for everybody, to have Tiger there can be phenomenal,’’ McIlroy mentioned at TPC San Antonio, the place he was competing within the Valero Texas Open. “I feel it simply provides to the occasion. Clearly, it does.

“Something Tiger Woods does within the sport of golf is heightened at any time when he is there. I imply, it will be superior for him to be there. , he was there yesterday clearly, and he is attempting to see what he can do. Clearly, nobody is aware of however him if he could make it round.”

Woods has but to play in a aggressive PGA Tour occasion since he suffered traumatic leg accidents in a single-car accident in late February 2021. Woods was recovering from a fifth again surgical procedure when he crashed his SUV over a median on a suburban coastal street in Los Angeles. The SUV tumbled down the aspect of a hill. 

Medical doctors mentioned Woods shattered tibia and fibula bones within the crash. 

AS TIGER WOODS’ MASTERS SPECULATION RAMPS UP, SURGEON WEIGHS IN ON GOLF LEGEND’S CHANCES

“The reality is you need to take every harm one step at a time,” orthopedic surgeon Rahul Shah advised Fox Information Digital. “When you form of chronicle his accidents, you begin with a number of bumps and bruises rising up, after which he had the numerous torquing harm to his again the place he blew out one among his discs.

“Then he will get into this unlucky accident, and what I can inform from what was leaked to the media, it appeared prefer it was going to be some time earlier than he got here again. And he’s made a major restoration even quicker than anticipated.”

Tiger Woods 
(REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photograph)

In December, Woods competed with Charlie on the PNC Championship, although Tiger did use a cart. After the match, Tiger pumped the brakes on a possible return.

Following months of restoration, Woods once more rebuffed the notion that his return was coming quickly throughout an interview with Jim Nantz on the Riviera Nation Membership late final month.

“I do not know,” mentioned Woods. “I can hit balls. The onerous half is definitely strolling; that is going to take a while. I’ll should put within the effort and time at house and do all of the seaside walks and stroll golf programs.”

Woods has made 23 profession begins on the Masters, the place he has 14 top-10 finishes. He placed on his first inexperienced jacket in 1997 at age 21 and once more throughout a profession comeback in 2019 at age 43.

Woods additionally gained the Masters in 2001, 2002 and 2005. He final performed within the match in 2020.

The primary spherical of the 86th Masters begins April 7 and runs by way of April 10. Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champion. 

Fox Information’ Ryan Gaydos and the Related Press contributed to this report