Tiger says Masters win can be his if ‘everything comes together’

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Regardless of enjoying solely 24 holes of golf in PGA Tour occasions this season, five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods believes he can win another inexperienced jacket if “all the things comes collectively” at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership this week.

Woods, 48, performed a second nine-hole apply spherical with Justin Thomas and Fred Couples on Tuesday.

“If all the things comes collectively, I feel I can get another,” Woods mentioned.

Woods’ twenty sixth look on the Masters will start at 1:24 p.m. ET Thursday when he performs with Max Homa and Jason Day within the first spherical. The trio will tee off in Friday’s second spherical at 10:18 a.m. ET.

Woods final performed in a PGA Tour occasion on the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Nation Membership exterior Los Angeles on Feb. 16. After carding a 1-over 72 within the first spherical, Woods needed to withdraw after six holes within the second spherical due to the flu.

The 15-time main champion had beforehand mentioned on the Hero World Problem within the Bahamas in December that he hoped to play in a event per thirty days if his physique would permit it.

However after pulling out of the Genesis Invitational, Woods skipped the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Gamers Championship in March.

“Nicely, I wasn’t able to play,” Woods mentioned. “My physique wasn’t prepared. My sport wasn’t prepared. And I assumed that once I was at Hero, as soon as a month can be a very nice rhythm. Hasn’t labored out that approach. However now we’ve got main championships each month from right here by means of July, so now the as soon as a month hopefully kicks in.”

Since returning to skilled golf after he suffered severe accidents in a automotive wreck exterior Los Angeles in February 2021, Woods has withdrawn or missed the lower in 4 of his six begins. His two finishes have been a tie for forty fifth within the 2023 Genesis Invitational and a solo forty seventh within the 2022 Masters.

Woods made the lower on the Masters final yr however withdrew earlier than the rain-delayed third spherical resumed after aggravating plantar fasciitis in his proper foot. On April 19, 2023, he underwent surgical procedure to handle post-traumatic arthritis in his proper ankle that was brought on by accidents suffered within the automotive wreck.

“Nicely, the ankle does not harm anymore,” Woods mentioned. “It is fused. It isn’t going anyplace, in order that’s positive. It is different elements of my physique that now must take the brunt of it. So, yeah, as soon as he put the rods in there [the ankle], it is good to go.

“However, the again, the knee, different elements of the physique must take the load of it, and simply the endurance functionality of strolling a very long time and being on my toes for a very long time.”

Woods acknowledged that the greater than 6-mile stroll round Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership is likely one of the harder ones in males’s skilled golf. With climate forecasts for Thursday to Sunday calling for temperatures within the low 70s to low 80s, it must be a lot better enjoying situations for Woods than final yr.

“I ache daily,” Woods mentioned. “And I choose it heat and humid and sizzling, and I do know we will get some thunderstorms. So not less than will probably be sizzling. It will not be like final yr.”

Woods will try to set a Masters report by making the lower for the twenty fourth consecutive time after tying {Couples} and Gary Player final yr.

“I feel it is consistency, it is longevity, and it is an understanding of the right way to play this golf course,” Woods mentioned. “That is one of many the reason why you see gamers which can be of their 50s and 60s make cuts right here, or it is gamers of their late 40s have runs at profitable the occasion, simply the understanding of the right way to play it.

“Now, you continue to must exit and execute it, however there’s quite a lot of data that goes into understanding the right way to play it. And, granted, each tee field has been modified for the reason that first time I performed. Each inexperienced has been modified, however the general configuration of how they roll and the way they transfer and the angles you are taking, that hasn’t modified.”

{Couples}, the 1992 Masters champion, mentioned Woods seems to be stronger in Tuesday’s apply spherical than he did a yr in the past, when the 82-time PGA Tour winner struggled to stroll and swing a membership in moist and chilly situations.

“I simply watched him play 9 holes, and 9 holes is just 9 holes on a Tuesday, however he by no means mishits a shot,” {Couples} mentioned. “However the concept of creating a lower, I feel he would giggle at that as a result of that is an enormous report, however he is right here to win. He is right here to play actually, actually exhausting.”