AUGUSTA, Ga. — On the first round of his 25th Masters, Tiger Woods walked slowly and sometimes with a limp. As he made his way around Augusta National, he sometimes was hunched over in pain.
On a warm and clear Thursday that had him constantly toweling sweat off his face and arms, Woods traversed the undulating terrain of the grounds at 2604 Washington Road with difficulty. Bearing the wear caused by five back surgeries and a car accident that fractured his right leg in multiple places, the 47-year-old Woods acknowledged earlier in the week that he wasn’t sure how many more times his body would permit him to compete at the tournament that has defined his greatness.
A comment made after his round, which he completed in 2-over-par 74, did nothing to encourage the idea that there are many more tournaments left in the tank. Asked whether he felt pain on particular shots or if it were constant, Woods replied, “It’s constant.”
