Tiger Woods ‘convinced’ he will compete in the Masters
The return of a five-time champion brightens the first major of the year at Augusta National.
Tiger Woods, the North American golfer, has stated his intention to compete in the Masters Tournament, which is held at Augusta National Golf Club and which he has won five times. After a 13-month layoff due to a vehicle accident, this will be his return to major events.
“For the time being, [the conviction is that] I’m going to participate,” Woods said at a press conference, adding that he will conduct a last test at the famed Georgia state course before deciding whether or not to compete in the North American major.
As a consequence of a terrible vehicle accident on February 23, 2021, Woods, 46, one of the most prominent players in the history of the sport and winner of 15 Grand Slam titles, suffered serious injuries to his right leg, which was in danger of being amputated.
“It’s about knowing how my body will recover from the effort and what I’ll be able to do the next day,” the golfer explained after completing two nine-hole training sessions in front of thousands of fans over the last two days.
Woods, who is currently ranked 973rd in the world, a position he has held for an incredible total of 673 weeks during his career, even stated that he believes he “can win the title” in the 86th Augusta Masters, which is contested on the fifth Saturday and Sunday, allowing him to equal compatriot Jack Nicklaus’ record of six titles, which he achieved in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and more recently in 2019.
Tiger Woods is slated to play, if his participation is confirmed, the first two rounds in a group with South African Louis Oosthuizen and Chilean Joquin Niemman on Thursday at 10:34 a.m. local time (3:34 p.m. in Lisbon) and Friday at 1:41 p.m. local time (3:41 p.m. in Lisbon) is confirmed (6:41 pm.)
Louis Oosthuizen, 39, is ranked 14th in the world and a regular contender in major tournaments, where he won the 2010 British Open in St. Andrews and finished second six times. Joaquin Niemann, a 23-year-old prodigy, won his second PGA Tour title in February at the prestigious Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles and received the trophy from host Tiger Woods.
The defending champion, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, will be joined on the course by Justin Thomas and James Piot, the 2021 US Amateur champion.
The Augusta National was designed by Bobby Jones, a former golfer who was a serious title winner in the 1920s, and Alister MacKenzie, who designed golf courses all around the world, and opened for play in 1932. It was founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts.
The Masters, traditionally scheduled for the first full week of April, is one of the most important golf tournaments in the world. It also is the first Major of the year.
The Masters in 2022 will have 91 players, including the golf legend Tiger Woods.
