This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.
Tiger Woods took another big step in his possible return to professional golf yesterday when he played a practice round in front of fans at Augusta National.
That is actually understating what exactly happened on Monday. He didn’t just play in front of fans, he played in front of just about every fan who was able to get on the grounds yesterday as a massive number of people were seen following him around as he made his way around the front nine of the legendary course.
We still don’t know for sure yet if he’s going to play in the Masters when it begins on Thursday but we do know he is still absolutely the needle that moves this sport and is one of the most iconic athletes of our time.
If you needed any proof of that just look at the one photo from his practice that shows so many people standing around the tee hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
That’s a Monday crowd. Not a Thursday crowd. Not a Friday crowd. Not a Saturday crowd. And not a Sunday crowd.
A MONDAY CROWD.
Insane.
His whole afternoon on the course was a special time. Fans were heard cheering him on as he walked up the first fairway and it wasn’t because of any shot that he hit but rather just because he was there, playing golf again and the people lining the first fairway were grateful for it.
Tiger is already the biggest winner at the Masters this year and will be even if he doesn’t hit an official shot in the tournament. He could have died in that car accident last year and he’s lucky he didn’t lose one of his legs. Thankfully he survived and his still able to be there for kids, which is the most important part of all of this.
But seeing him play golf again in front of all those people yesterday was special. And it was a reminder of just how important of an athlete that he is to all of us. Yesterday was one of those special days, one that you’ll remember for a long time, one that had everyone on Twitter talking.
And it was just a practice round!
If Tiger tees it up Thursday it will be one of the top 5 moments in golf history. His tee shot on the first hole will have everyone in their emotions. And how he actually finishes in the tournament won’t be important. Just being there, being able to do something he loves while giving fans everything that they love is all that will count.
And that’s the way it should be.
Quick hits: Watch One Shining Moment… Twitter roasts NCAA’s Mark Emmert… Every NFL team’s draft needs… And more.
– Kansas beat UNC in a thriller last night to win the national championship and then CBS aired it’s annual One Shining Moment video, which you can watch right here.
– During the trophy presentation NCAA president Mark Emmert called the Jayhawks the “Kansas City Jayhawks” and fans roasted him for it.
– The 2022 NFL Draft is quickly approaching and Christian D’Andrea continues to get you ready for it by breaking down the needs for each team.
– Adidas debuted some special Waffle House-themed golf shoes for Masters weeks and fans loved them.
