Every time a major golf tournament rolls around, the No. 1 question from fans is always the same:
Will Tiger Woods be in the field?
Never is that more true than when the calendar flips to April and the doors of Augusta National are opened wide to welcome the world’s best players to the Masters.
Play begins on Thursday, April 6 this year.
The last the public heard from Woods was during The Genesis Invitational — a tournament he hosts and played in this season — and after four rounds he sure sounded like someone who was ready to chase a sixth green jacket and tie the record held by Jack Nicklaus:
“Like I told you guys last year, I’m not going to play any more than probably the majors and maybe a couple more. That’s it, that’s all my body will allow me to do. My back the way it is, all the surgeries I had on my back, my leg the way it is, I just can’t. That’s just going to be my future.
“So my intent last year was to play in all four majors, I got three of the four. Hopefully this year I can get all four and maybe sprinkle in a few here and there. But that’s it for the rest of my career. I know that and I understand that. That’s just my reality.”
Woods is still trying to manage the injuries he suffered in a 2021 car accident, which has considerably impacted his ability to play a more full schedule. Instead he’s focusing on the biggest tournaments and, when possible, some elevated events.
The 47-year-old made the cut at the 2022 Masters, stringing together rounds of 71-74-78-78 to finish 13-over-par and in 47th place.
