Prior to this week's Valero Texas Open, Rory McIlroy's performance on the PGA Tour has been lackluster.
On Sunday, Tiger Woods made his way to Augusta National to start getting ready for a similar quest for victory in The Masters this coming week.
The five-time Green Jacket winner made his way back to the augusta grounds, where he has experienced immense glory, to start his pursuit of breaking Jack Nicklaus’s major record.
For the first time since withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational, the 48-year-old took to the fairways on Sunday, adhering to the same strategy that led to his historic and victorious comeback in 2019.
With his playing partner for the week, Lance Bennett, and business associate Rob McNamara by his side, Woods steered clear of the practice area and made his way to the putting green close to the clubhouse.
Then, according to Bob Harig, the golfing great took to the course, spending time chipping and putting around the greens.
Prior to his victory in 2019 and the previous year, when he made the cut for the 23rd time in a row at the Masters, Woods performed a same ceremony, matching the record held by Gary Player and Fred Couples.
If he can survive to the weekend at Augusta this week, he has the opportunity to break that record.
But even though he made it to the weekend the previous year, Woods was ultimately forced to retire after the third round.
In 2023, Woods was clearly uncomfortable during the windy, rainy third round at Augusta National. However, he had to withdraw before the last day because of recurrent plantar fasciitis.
After undergoing treatment for the injury in April, he remained quiet both on and off the course until he returned to competition at the Hero World Challenge.
However, he also withdrew from the Genesis Invitational in February before finishing the complete round due to “flu-like symptoms” and a fever that he had when he started his second round.
Woods nearly lost his leg in a single-car accident in February 2021, but he recovered magnificently to compete in The Masters in 2022. That was only 14 months later.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner occasionally limps because to the injuries he incurred in the accident, making walking the course difficult.
The earlier worry about Woods’ capacity to play a round was not about his technique, but rather about having to walk the course because of pain in his leg and ankle.
But after the operation, he disclosed, walking was no longer such a big deal.
“Walking it doesn’t worry me in the slightest,” he stated in November. “With the hardware in my foot, I don’t have any of the ankle pains I used to.”
All of it has vanished, but the other areas of my body—my back, my knee—are more affected; the pressures seem to be going elsewhere. Similar to my back fuse incident, something has to give. It is higher up.
As I already stated, I’m as interested in what will happen as the rest of you. It’s been a long since I did this.
For Woods, Augusta National has held unique meaning throughout his career. It served as the backdrop for both his victorious comeback in 2019—winning his fifth Masters and first major in eleven years—as well as his anticipated return in 2022.
