Justin Thomas is one of the most successful golf professionals, he was number one in the world, won 16 tournaments, but on Monday he experienced something unique. During a practice round, thousands of spectators followed him as if on a pilgrimage tour. “So many people have probably never seen me at Augusta National,” said Thomas later, to set the crucial punch line: “And they didn’t watch me.”
Tiger Woods toyed with him.
Yes, these are indeed extraordinary events that are happening right now in Augusta, Georgia, and are impressing even those involved in the upcoming tournament. The Masters, the first of the four majors of the year, only begins this Thursday.
Hysteria mounted last week when someone posted online the route of a private jet bound for Augusta from Florida. “Tiger, is that you?” the person wrote pleadingly. It was Tiger Woods who was soon spotted at the Augusta National Golf Club. Even on the pitch. He completed training laps and practiced shots from the sand bunker.
The jet went back and forth and back
Then he took off again, and the great speculation began immediately. Bookmakers corrected their odds. TV panels were held, podcasts were all about him, the 46-year-old, who almost died in a self-inflicted car accident in February 2021. He survived, badly injured, an amputation of his right leg was discussed by doctors, but miraculously this was avoided. For three months, Woods was just in bed, screws hold various bones together to this day, he was in pain like never before, said Woods.
When finally, after the back and forth, Woods’ jet was on its way to Augusta a second time and the message appeared that he was giving a press conference on Tuesday at eleven o’clock, it was clear: he wants to tee off at the Masters!
“I can’t believe it’s been 25 years since I won here”: Tiger Woods appeared in good spirits at a press conference.
(Photo: Reuters)
“As of now, I’m going to play,” said Woods, and when asked if he could win this traditional tournament for the sixth time, smiling and casually added, “Yes, I can.” He didn’t want to announce his start for sure yet, on Wednesday he wanted to test his body one last time and play nine lanes. But a withdrawal now would be surprising. He has already been assigned a start time for the first round: 10.34 am (16.34 CET), his flight partners are South African Louis Oosthuizen and Chilean Joaquin Niemann.
“He looked like the tiger we saw before the accident,” says Billy Horschel
Woods completed his last official tournament of the PGA Tour season in November 2020, when the Masters was postponed due to the pandemic. There is almost something mystical about it, but the career of this exceptional athlete has always revolved around this famous place on Magnolia Lane. “I can’t believe it’s been 25 years since I won here,” Woods said in astonishment on Tuesday.
In 1997, the narrow-chested Californian, who was then considered a miracle boy, slipped into the green jacket for the first time after a win with a record lead of twelve strokes and fell into the arms of his (now deceased) father Earl. He won 14 more majors, his most spectacular title in 2019, again at the Masters, this time hugging his son Charlie. After various sporting and private crises and above all health problems – until today he had to have four back operations – it seemed as if someone had risen.
Also because Woods is Woods and kept coming back, many now trust him to do everything. Fred Couples, who won the Masters in 1982 and had now contested the practice round with Woods and Thomas, found Woods’ performance “phenomenal”. “He looked like the tiger we saw before the accident,” said professional colleague Billy Horschel enthusiastically.
Woods assured his game, his swings, his feel for the ball were there. And yet, of course, things are different this time. “The walking is the hard part,” he admitted. Especially in Augusta, on the course that is much hillier than it is made out to be on TV. “There’s only one flat section,” Woods explained, which is the passage on the 18th tee. When he was asked which slope gave him the most trouble, left, right, up, down, he laughed and said, amused: “All.” The lightness that he radiated after what must have been the most challenging months of his life was quite remarkable.
By no means is all his torment over at once. Woods had also described in detail that he had to take more time for many work and training steps. In any case, he will only play sporadically, as he had announced beforehand. But he emphasized that he would like to be able to deal with having to look for the right position on Augusta’s crooked fairways, “I would assume that every day” – because that also means: He plays! “I love to compete,” he still thinks. Which, by the way, will continue to apply to Bernhard Langer, 64, in 2022. The two-time Masters winner, who has ex-championship privileges in Augusta for life, will contest his first two rounds with Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa), 27, and Cameron Davis (Australia), 27.
The obligatory Champions Dinner took place on Tuesday evening, where the previous year’s winner puts together a menu and invites all former winners to the table. Hideki Matsuyama opted for sushi, wagyu beef and strawberry shortcake. Woods was standing in the back left corner of the group photo, he almost went under. But once you spotted him, you couldn’t miss it: he was beaming all over his face.