Tiger Woods was seen walking around the grounds of Augusta National with a limp on the eve of his sensational return to competitive golf at the Masters.
Woods is set to make a scarcely believable appearance at Augusta, just 14 months after his horrific crash outside Los Angeles. The accident led to the 46-year-old suffering a shattered leg, and he has undergone extensive rehabilitation to recover.
He suffered comminuted open fractures to both the tibia and fibula in his right leg after losing control of his vehicle. Police declared the 15-time major winner was ‘lucky to be alive’ as he narrowly avoided having his leg amputated.
Woods then spent three weeks receiving medical attention and even reportedly faced potential amputation - but he is set to return to professional golf this weekend after he competed a practice round at the iconic Augusta course with his son Charlie and friend Justin Thomas.
Amid all the excitement, video footage surfaced showing Woods practising on Wednesday. The images have sparked fear among excited fans, as Woods was clearly walking around the physically demanding 72-hole course with a limp.
While he was moving around the course fairly swiftly, Woods was clearly still feeling the effects of the brutal crash. However, the recent World Golf Hall of Fame inductee has declared his physical struggles will not stop him hoping for a sixth Masters title.
“I just want to keep progressing,” Woods said. “I’m lucky enough to have the physio and therapist and my team pushing me and pushing this body and piecing it back together again. I had great surgeons who have put the body back together again. Humpty Dumpty is glued and hopefully good enough.”
Augusta National is largely regarded as one of the toughest venues to play at in the United States, hence why securing the coveted Masters' green jacket is regarded as such a feat. As he is a former champion - a five-time Masters winner - Woods automatically qualifies for the event to mark a sensational return.
The crash that appeared to end Woods’ professional career saw the icon suffer open fractures to both the tibia and fibula in his right leg after losing control of his vehicle, and he was subsequently rushed to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center before eventually being transferred to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Woods’ professional colleagues believe he can make an impression at the event - and maybe even pull off a stunning result. Rory McIlroy said: “Tiger has been wonderful for us all in this room. He creates attention on the game of golf that no one else can. That’s great for his peers. It’s great for the media. It’s great for this golf club. It’s great for everyone. So, any time Tiger Woods is involved, it’s a wonderful thing.
Do you think Tiger Woods will contend at the Masters? Let us know in the comments section.
“He’s hitting it well. He’s chipping well. He’s sharp. It’s just the physical demand of getting around 72 holes here this week. That’s probably the question mark. But the golf game is there.”
The 2022 Masters tees off on Thursday April 7, and will conclude on Sunday April 10. Jon Rahm is the current favourite - just edging out Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith and 2020 champion Dustin Johnson.
