tiger woods Looks like he's planning on making his 26th starting appearance. masters However, the 15-time major champion remains hampered by a severe leg injury sustained in a 2021 car accident.
Woods, whose flight to Augusta was tracked a week ago, is listed to speak to reporters at Augusta National on Tuesday and remains among the tournament participants, not a non-playing champion, according to the tournament website. ing.
But the 48-year-old American superstar, who holds the all-time record with 82 PGA Tour wins, tying him with Sam Snead, has been struggling with injuries, according to his longtime friend Notah Begay.
“He's trying to develop a strategy and an approach that he can work with given the constraints, but there are some constraints,” Begay told reporters Wednesday.
“He has zero mobility in his left ankle and is currently having problems with his lower back, but he knew it was coming.”
Woods won his first major title since 2008 at the 2019 Masters, but has struggled since returning from a 2021 car accident for the 2022 Masters, struggling to walk all 72 holes on the hilly layout. He finished in 47th place.
Last year, Woods made 23 consecutive cuts, tying Gary Player and Fred Couples for a Masters record, but then withdrew due to plantar fasciitis and underwent ankle surgery last April.
The five-time Masters champion reportedly played at Augusta National last weekend with friend Justin Thomas and Augusta National president Fred Ridley.
So far this season, Woods' only PGA event was at Riviera in February, when he withdrew after the first round due to illness.
Can he walk 72 holes?
Tiger Woods' main struggle is walking through four rounds, Begay said.
“He was trying to find a way to recover,” Begay said.
“He can play golf. We always knew the question was going to be, 'Can he walk 72 meters?' It's still up in the air.
“Can he recover from round to round? That's the biggest question. Until he actually competes and sees if the way he's been preparing for this year's Masters is working, I don't know. I don’t know, and neither will he.”
Tiger Woods has played only three majors since his car accident
Woods displayed some of the most spectacular shotmaking ever seen at Augusta National, sending a roar echoing through the pine trees along the famous course.
He won his first major title at the 1997 Masters, and again in 2001 to complete the “Tiger Slam” of four consecutive major wins, joining Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only back-to-back Masters winners. It became. He won in 2002 and won the title in 2005.
In 2019, Woods made a fairytale comeback by winning the Masters. He had recovered from four back surgeries, but persistent pain made him question whether he would ever be able to live a normal life, let alone play golf again.
After suffering a shattered ankle and multiple fractures in his right foot in a 2021 car accident, Woods said he was grateful to still have his legs but has been fighting for more than a year to return to the 2022 Masters. Ta.
But since then, Woods has played just three majors, withdrawing from last year's Masters and the 2022 PGA Championship and missing out on the 2022 British Open.
Written by Garyn Lambly ©Agence France-Presse
