Appearances from Tiger Woods are becoming few and far between, with the 15-time Major winner still struggling with his right leg after a serious car crash back in February 2021.
At The Masters on Thursday, after his first round, Woods revealed that the pain is "constant" and, on Saturday, that agony was as visible as ever, with Tiger seen severely limping on the 17th hole as he walked back under his umbrella to discuss the shot with his caddie, Joe LaCava.
🚨🐅 A rough scene for 5x Masters Champion Tiger Woods. This after making his 23rd consecutive cut. #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/XmNyIyajnyApril 8, 2023
The third round's TV coverage had been extremely limited throughout Saturday and, when play was suspended mid afternoon, it meant that a number of players will have to come back on Sunday to complete their third rounds before the fourth and final round gets underway in the afternoon.
This came after a number of players had already returned to Augusta National to finish their second rounds because play was also suspended on Friday. One of those was Woods and, after he managed to get the ball round for a three-over tournament total, he added yet another record to his incredible resume, with the 47-year-old making his 23rd consecutive cut at The Masters to join Fred Couples and Gary Player.
However, with such a short turnaround between the second and third rounds, plus the fact that the rain, wind and cold temperatures weren't helping his affected leg, Woods was visibly struggling throughout the beginning of the third round, as two bogeys and two double bogeys rooted him to the bottom of the leaderboard.
Followed Tiger for 9 just now. He’s in great pain, wincing when his back is to camera. So sad to see as his swing looks great. He has a real hobble when he walks. He knows he’s good but his body won’t allow him. I’d wouldn’t be surprised if he WD’s. Guts keeping him going and the… pic.twitter.com/QcCmrzmGTPApril 8, 2023
Man. Tiger severely limping in 17 fairway, by far the worst we've seen in any events he's played since the accident. If he makes the turn I'd be stunned and I would not be surprised if he doesn't make it up the hill on 18.April 8, 2023
Finding it quite sad watching Tiger Woods hobbling around at #TheMastersApril 8, 2023
As the hooter went off to signal the end of play for the day, No Laying Up tweeted: "Tiger severely limping in 17 fairway, by far the worst we've seen in any events he's played since the accident. If he makes the turn I'd be stunned and I would not be surprised if he doesn't make it up the hill on 18."
They weren't the only ones who voiced their concern, as golf coach, Jonathan Yarwood, tweeted: "Followed Tiger for 9 just now. He’s in great pain, wincing when his back is to camera. So sad to see as his swing looks great. He has a real hobble when he walks. He knows he’s good but his body won’t allow him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he WDs. Guts keeping him going and the will to compete."
It's currently unclear as to whether Woods, who still has 28 holes left to play on Sunday, will indeed withdraw from the tournament but, on the viewing basis, it seems many would prefer the golf legend to withdraw and save his body from yet further damage.
