Woods defies the odds in quest for sixth Masters title

Tiger Woods was set to make his most daring Masters bid yet on Thursday, a quarter-century after his 12-shot victory at Augusta National ushered forth a new era in golf.

The 21-year-old Woods then confirmed his superstar status with a record-setting triumph at the Masters, making him the youngest champion in the tournament’s history, and claiming the first of his 15 major wins.

Woods’ quest for No. 16 comes 14 months after sustaining career-threatening injuries to his lower right leg in a single-car accident in California in February 2021.

The 46-year-old, who is currently ranked 973rd in the world, couldn’t even declare he was going to play until Tuesday, but make no mistake: Woods is aiming for a record-tying sixth Masters title.

“I don’t show up to an event unless I think I can win it,” Woods said, expressing complete confidence in every aspect of his game.

Simply walking the tough, 7,510-yard Augusta National course for four days will be a struggle.

“That’s going to be the challenge, and it’s going to be a challenge of a major marathon,” said Woods, who was unable to walk for months.

Woods will play alongside South African Louis Oosthuizen and Chilean Joaquin Niemann on Thursday at 10:34 a.m. (14:34 GMT).

Niemann, who won the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, which Woods hosted in February, wasn’t even born when Woods earned his first Masters championship in 1997.

However, he is one of a slew of young players whose careers have been influenced by Woods.

Scottie Scheffler, 25, entered Augusta rated top in the world after winning his first three PGA Tour victories in less than two months.

With a first Masters victory, Spain’s US Open champion Jon Rahm, 27, can reclaim the number one ranking he lost to Scheffler. Rahm is one of five players who can dethrone Scheffler this week: reigning British Open champion Collin Morikawa, US PGA FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, rising Norwegian star Viktor Hovland, and Australian Cameron Smith.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland will be attempting to complete his career Grand Slam with a Masters victory for the eighth time, while defending champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan is battling fitness concerns as he attempts to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Woods as the only players to win back-to-back Masters titles.

At 10:45 a.m., Matsuyama tees off in the group after Woods. At 1:41 p.m. (17:41 GMT), Rahm takes the tee with Cantlay and Will Zalatoris, followed by Hovland at 1:52 in a group with Spieth and Tokyo Olympic winner Xander Schauffele. McIlroy is in the penultimate group of the day, which also includes Brooks Koepka, a four-time major winner, and Matthew Fitzpatrick of England.

Honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson will hit the ceremonial first tee shots at 7:40 a.m., kicking off the competition.

But all eyes are on Woods, and whether he can complete the most incredible comeback in a career distinguished as much by his tenacious will to overcome adversity as by his sublime ability.

“It’s amazing if you think about where he was at a year ago to now, I don’t know how many people, if anybody, could be out here,” said 2015 Masters winner Jordan Spieth. “But is anybody surprised?”

Woods won the 2008 US Open with a broken leg, then battled through five back surgeries, including at last a spinal fusion, before he won his 15th major title at the 2019 Masters.

“I mean, how many comebacks has he had?” Spieth marvelled.

Bombing it

Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters champion who has played his share of rounds — and missed his share as well — with back trouble, said Woods “looked phenomenal” in practice rounds that had patrons at Augusta National buzzing with excitement.

“What impresses me the most is he was bombing it,” Couples said of Woods’s length off the tee.

Former PGA Champion Justin Thomas, who Woods refers to as his “little brother” on tour, says Woods’s game is “plenty, plenty good enough to play well.”

So Woods will once again defy the pain and try to defy the odds to move one step closer to Nicklaus’s all-time record of 18 major titles.

He would become the third-oldest major winner in history and would surpass Nicklaus as the oldest Masters winner by a matter of weeks.

“I love competing,” Woods said of his motivation. “And I feel like if I can still compete at the highest level I’m going to. And if I feel like I can still win, I’m going to play.”

And does that mean he believes he can produce his most unlikely triumph to date this Sunday?

“I do,” Woods said.

Also Read

Tiger Woods expects to compete in the Masters and thinks he can win.

Tiger Woods expresses "as of right now I feel like I will...