A return like no other for Tiger Woods could begin at the Masters Tournament.
Just 13 months after Woods damaged his right leg so badly that doctors considered amputating it, he wrote on Twitter that he will be heading to Augusta on Sunday, but has not decided whether he will attend.
“I’m going to Augusta today to continue my preparation and training. It will be a last minute decision on whether I compete,” he wrote.
The Masters Tournament does not have an imposed deadline like regular tournaments. Since this is an invitational tournament, players only notify the club if they are not playing.
The starting grid will be published on Tuesday.
If Woods decides to play — he played 18 holes at Augusta National five days ago — it would be his first competition against the best players in the world since Nov. 15, 2020, when the Masters Tournament was moved to fall due to the pandemic.
Woods’ accident happened on February 26 on a coastal road in suburban Los Angeles. Officers said he was traveling at least 135 km/h when he crossed the center line and rolled his SUV down a hill.
Woods notably won the Masters Tournament in 2019 after undergoing lower back surgery.
Last week’s practice was imperative for Woods to ensure he could play the full 18 holes and was able to recover in the days that followed. That he returns on Sunday is a good omen.
Can he win again? That would be considered even more unlikely than his last Masters victory.
Woods has appeared in the Masters 21 times as a professional, and has never missed the weekend games.
In his final competitive game at Augusta National, he scored the highest score of his career — a par-3-12 10.and pennant. He then recovered by making birdies on five of the last six holes of the course.