Stephanie Logue 

Staff Writer

szl414@psu.edu

Woods, who is attempting to return to golf after suffering major leg injuries in a single-car accident in February 2021, said he would make a “game-time decision” on Thursday. AUGUSTA, Georgia — Tiger Woods was back in his element on Sunday at the end of a nearly empty practice range with the Masters tournament just a few days away. A smiling Woods made around 30 fluid swings on a beautiful day with temps nearing 80 degrees, posing in his follow-through to see high, arcing shots against a cloudless blue sky. The three months Woods had spent confined to a bed following his near-fatal single-vehicle car incident last year must have seemed very far away as he joked with his veteran caddie, Joe LaCava.

Woods waved to media standing nearby after his 16-minute practice round on the range and walked to Augusta National Golf Club’s back nine for a practice round. Woods’ participation in this year’s Masters Tournament, which begins on Thursday, is still undetermined. He announced on Twitter on Sunday morning that he was flying to Augusta to continue practicing and preparing. He did say, though, that competing would be a “game-time decision.” Here below is his actual tweet: 

“I will be heading up to Augusta today to continue my preparation and practice. It will be a game-time decision on whether I compete. Congratulations to 16-year-old Anna Davis on an amazing win at the @anwagolf and good luck to all the kids in the @DriveChipPutt.”

Woods, 46, arrived in Augusta by private jet from Florida, where he lives, at around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. He has been undergoing hard rehabilitation on his surgically reconstructed right leg since his sport-utility vehicle tumbled off a Los Angeles-area boulevard at a high speed on Feb. 23, 2021.  At 3:21 p.m., he strolled onto the Augusta National practice range, dressed in a coral shirt, black slacks, and black shoes. When his right foot landed on the grass, his walk was slightly stilted, but when he swung the golf club — starting with a wedge, then longer irons, then woods, and finally a driver — he looked smooth, pushing off his right foot to successfully balance on his left foot to complete the swing.

Despite the fact that LaCava put three bags of balls at Woods’ feet, Woods stopped swinging with only a few balls remaining in the first bag, pausing to shake hands and hug fellow PGA Tour pro Billy Horschel, who was practicing at the opposite end of the range. Woods arrived at the golf course after a few minutes. Woods was added to a list of players set to hold press conferences on Tuesday at Augusta National around the same time. With severe rain and thunderstorms expected on Tuesday, it’s logical to expect Woods to play another practice round on Monday. Last week, Woods also played a practice round at Augusta National.

The 15-time major champion has a reputation for willpower in the face of adversity, and based on his swings on Sunday, he seemed to have recaptured some of his golf brilliance. However, playing at Augusta National, a long course famed for its punishing elevation changes, could prove to be a difficult task. Curtis Strange, the two-time US Open champion who is now an ESPN golf analyst, termed Augusta National “the hardest walk in golf” during a conference call with media on Wednesday.  Andy North, a two-time winner of the US Open who is also an ESPN commentator, believes the British Open will be a good spot for Woods to return to competition because this year’s venue — St. Andrews — is “flat and it’s an easy walk.” “Augusta is the last place you would have thought he could possibly play,” North said.

However, Woods, who won his first Masters championship 25 years ago in 1997, has carefully tempered the golf world’s and, possibly, his own expectations for a return to the tour since the accident. Woods stated in a press conference in mid-February, prior to the Genesis Invitational, that he had focused on chipping, putting, and short irons, but had not spent time “really” working on his long game due to his right leg. “I’m still working on the walking part,” Woods said then. “My foot was a little messed up there about a year ago, so the walking part is something that I’m still working on, working on strength and development in that. It takes time. What’s frustrating is it’s not at my timetable. I want to be at a certain place, but I’m not. I’ve just got to continue working. I’m getting better, yes. But as I said, not at the speed and rate that I would like.” Woods raised doubt on his ability to recover to a physical state that would allow him to compete and win on the PGA Tour in his first public appearance since the accident in mid-November.

Woods, who shared a short video of himself swinging on social media on Nov. 21, said he intended to return to competitive golf at some point, but gave no date and ruled out a full-time return to the PGA Tour. “I got that last major,” Woods stated at a news conference on Nov. 30. He was referring to his stunning win at the Masters, golf’s most watched event, at the age of 43. At the PNC Championship in December, Woods played 36 holes with his son Charlie. The scramble format permitted Woods to utilize a cart, as he walked with a limp and struggled to push off with his right leg on certain drives. In his right leg, Woods suffered open fractures of the tibia and fibula in many places. He was in the hospital for a month, and doctors were considering amputating his limb. “I’ve had a pretty good run,” Woods said in November, then nine months removed from the crash. He added: “I don’t see that type of trend going forward for me. It’s going to have to be a different way. I’m at peace with that. I’ve made the climb enough times.”

Woods struggled at the 2020 Masters, which was held in November rather than April due to the epidemic, and finished in a tie for 38th place. But it was the 2019 Masters, his first major tournament triumph in 11 years, that gave him the confidence to take on any challenge. Woods was not considered a strong candidate that year after repeated back and knee operations, but he played his best golf through the final round, birdieing three of the final six holes to win his fifth Masters championship. He let out a primal scream as he sank the winning putt on the 18th hole, surrounded by thousands of screaming spectators. Woods had been ranked as low as 1,119th in the world just two years prior. Given his off-the-course difficulties at the time, his comeback is one of the greatest in sports history.