Tiger Woods Playing at the Masters ‘As of Right Now’

Tiger Woods last played in a Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) event at the 2020 Masters Tournament. After a car crash that nearly cost him his right leg, Tiger is playing in a major tournament for the first time.

Tiger Woods says he plans to play in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club this year, at least as of now.

Woods said he has to see how he feels after a practice round on Wednesday, but felt good enough to play after practicing with his son Charlie and friend and fellow PGA pro Justin Thomas.

A mere 14 months ago, Woods, 46, was in a serious car crash that nearly led to his leg being amputated. Doctors instead inserted a rod into his right tibia and plates and screws into his ankle and foot on the same side. Woods says he was confined to a hospital bed for three months.

Woods is a 15-time major champion, the second most all-time, and hopes to win his sixth Masters title, which would tie Jack Nicklaus for most Masters wins of all time. Nicklaus also holds the most major wins, with 18.

While Woods admitted he will never play PGA golf regularly again, he hopes to take the same approach as Hall of Famer Ben Hogan, who would pick a few tournaments a year in the twilight of his career and focus on those. Like Woods, Hogan suffered a near fatal car accident and then continued to play at a high level, winning six of his nine majors after.

Tiger Woods does not just plan to play in the tournament, he hopes to win it. “I don't show up to an event unless I think I can win it. So that's the attitude I've had. There will be a day when it won't happen, and I'll know when that is,” golf’s biggest star said.

He believes his body will respond fine to playing golf, it is walking on the injured leg that has him concerned. “72 holes is a long road, and it's going to be a tough challenge and a challenge that I'm up for.” Augusta is known for its extremely hilly courses.

Woods was once seen as a shoe-in to beat Nicklaus’ record for most major wins of all time; he won 14 Majors between 1997 and 2008. But after several surgeries and a previous car accident in 2009, along with a very public divorce that led to intense public scrutinity of his sexual habits, Woods did not win another major tournament until the 2019 Masters.

Then the second, more serious, car crash happened in February 2021, and many wondered if Tiger Woods would ever play again, including himself.

“To finally get out of that where I wasn't in a wheelchair or crutches and walking and still had more surgeries ahead of me” Woods explained at a press conference “to say that I was going to be here playing and talking to [media] again, it would have been very unlikely.”

Few expect him to win the three additional majors he will need to tie Nicklaus, much less the four to beat the record, but most are just happy to see golf’s most visible and famous player out on the course again. Besides, very few people expected him to win the Masters in 2019 after an eleven year major tournament drought.

If there is one thing Tiger Woods has proven over his professional career that spans four decades, it is to never count him out.

Assuming all goes well on Wednesday, Woods will tee off at 10:34am ET on Thursday with South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann. According to Caesar Sportsbook, Woods is currently listed at 50-1 odds to win the tournament.