Hearing Tiger Woods talk about his health problems and physical discomforts in the prelude to the Masters Tournament has become a habit. Like Dominique Michel when she announced that she had played in her last Bye every New Year’s Eve.
This was again the case on Tuesday during its annual press conference. Woods is “painful every day,” he told members of the media at Augusta National.
Annoyed by injuries to his right ankle despite an operation last spring, to his lower back and to one knee, Woods will still try to break a new record: resisting the cut for the 24e consecutive edition.
At 26e career participation, the five-time champion of the event is driven by the ambition to win “at least one other jacket”. At 48 years old, Woods will have to work hard to get the famous green jacket presented to him by Jon Rahm, the reigning champion.
“Any shot off the tee is a challenge,” he said. The elevation and drop of this 7,555-yard course is the equivalent of walking the Camino de Santiago for a survivor like Woods.
Nevertheless, the most requested player of the tournament displays great ease. On Monday, during his practice round, his ball speed increased to 280 km/h (174 mph) with a 1-wood in hand. In TaylorMade’s most recent promotional activities, he was ahead of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler in ball distance on tee shots.
No one should leave in fear. Betting on Woods would be like betting on a horse with tendinitis in the Kentucky Derby. However, no one should be surprised to see him in red on Sunday and thus beat the record held by Fred Couples and Gary Player.
The start of the real season
PHOTO MIKE BLAKE, REUTERS
Tiger Woods displays great ease. On Monday, during his practice round, his ball speed increased to 280 km/h (174 mph) with a 1-wood in hand.
Woods has played just one tournament in 2024. Truth be told, he’s only played one round. After posting a 72 at the Genesis Invitational in mid-February, he withdrew due to a virus.
And that’s all.
Unlike his playing partners Max Homa and Jason Day, the man with 82 victories will start on Thursday at 1:24 p.m., without rhythm, without training and without real rehearsal. He knows the terrain, of course, but it will be far from enough to be in the race.
“My body and my game weren’t ready,” said the man who plans to take part in one tournament a month between now and the end of the season.
Last year, he attended only three PGA Tour events. Only one between his last and next appearance at the Masters Tournament.
Fred Couples, winner in 1992, however, invites golfers and amateurs to be wary of the sleeping tiger. “If he’s here, I can tell you it’s to win. He wants another jacket! “, explained Woods’ great friend and mentor.
The new Tiger
PHOTO MATT SLOCUM, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The stubborn, insensitive and unapproachable beast that he was during his glory years has softened to give way to a more contemplative Tiger Woods inclined to help the next generation.
When Woods showed up on the practice greens of the most prestigious club in America on Monday, he looked sharp, in good shape and, above all, extremely happy to be there again.
It’s no secret that the idol of an entire generation has softened. The stubborn, insensitive and unapproachable beast that he was during his glory years has softened to give way to a more contemplative Tiger Woods inclined to help the next generation. He spent his entire training round with the young Will Zalatoris, a serious candidate to win a first major title and a golfer with whom he shares his recurring back problems.
This improved version of Woods is probably the best thing for golf. Without necessarily being more vulnerable, he probably feels more indebted to the sport that has brought him to the status of a living legend.
“I like golf. It’s my whole life. I like to compete. […] That’s why I’ve had so much success,” he emphasized.
Woods could have used his $120 million in winnings, not counting his sponsorship income, to rest his aching body by rocking in a premium wooden chair on the patio of his Jupiter Island home. Or to witness the meteoric rise of his son Charlie. Or to eat steaks and taste great wines in the best restaurants in Florida.
However, as he approaches fifty, he is still refining aspects of his game, such as his touch around the greens, for long minutes, in the hope of winning the most popular tournament for professional golfers. As if it were his first participation. “It’s my whole life,” he added.
He also lost a major ally at the start of the year. Nike has severed ties with the greatest golfer in history after a 27-year association. Along with Michael Jordan, Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo, Woods has been one of the most recognizable faces of hooking on the planet.
Woods will therefore not wear the “swoosh” on his jerseys or on his caps during the Masters Tournament. Instead, we will see the silhouette of a tiger accompanied by its stripes, the logo of his new brand Sun Day Red, in reference to the color that has followed him since his beginnings at Stanford University.
With the manufacturer TaylorMade, he created this new identity, entirely in his image. “Red has become a synonym for me,” he said during the unveiling.
Five years after his most recent triumph at Augusta National, Woods arrives without pressure. He has already done so much for this century-old sport. But he refuses to play an extra for four days, because he knows that the story will be better if he is the main character. “If everything goes well, I think I can win another one. »