Tiger tries round at Augusta to stoke Masters speculation

Tiger Woods played an 18-hole practice round at Augusta National on Tuesday with son Charlie and pal Justin Thomas, testing his fitness for next week's Masters, according to multiple reports.

ESPN and Sports Illustrated, citing unnamed sources, said Woods flew to and from Georgia on his private jet to see how well he could walk the hilly layout only 13 months after suffering severe leg injuries in a California automobile accident.

The year's first major golf event will be played April 7-10 at Augusta National, where Woods has captured five of his 15 major titles.

Woods suffered severe right leg injuries in a car crash in February 2021, saying later he was lucky to survive the mishap and fortunate to still have both legs.

While saying he plans to return to tournament play on a limited basis, he has not outlined a timetable for when he might play competitively.

Reports of Woods' arrival sparked speculation that the 46-year-old American, whose world ranking has slid to 944, could make his comeback on the same Augusta National layout where he last played in a PGA event in November 2020 after COVID-19 delayed the tournament from April.

Woods won the 2019 Masters title, his first major crown in 11 years, since winning the 2008 US Open in a playoff with a broken leg.

The Masters victory capped a Woods fightback from multiple back surgeries that had Woods wondering if he might ever have a pain-free life, never mind play golf again.

Woods was hospitalized for weeks and struggling to walk for months after the 2021 crash. He has rehabilitated his legs simply to be able to walk, never mind return to playing form.

But there was a sense that Woods would not have tested his ability to walk the course if he wasn't confident in his shotmaking skills around the layout.

Since the accident, Woods has played in a family event alongside Charlie and been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

On the official Masters website, Woods remains on a list of players who are qualified for next week's tournament as a past champion, rather than on a list of non-playing past champions.

Woods definitely plans to be in Augusta next week to attend the Masters Champions Dinner on April 5.

Speculation began to pick up when Phil Mickelson was removed from the list of players who plan to compete in the Masters, which starts April 7. Woods was still on the active-invited players list, and when asked a week ago for guidance on a decision, his agent said it was too early.

Unlike regular tournaments, players don't have a commitment deadline. Woods is a five-time Masters champion who can play every year. It's up to him to tell Augusta National whether he will play, and that can happen all the way up until the start of the tournament.

Woods was seen playing at The Medalist near his home in Jupiter Island, Florida, over the weekend. He presumably was at Augusta National to see how his legs could hold up on one of the toughest walks in golf. The course has elevations on nearly every hole.

He played in December in the 36-hole PNC Championship with his son－they finished runner-up－in Florida where Woods was able to ride in a cart and the format was a scramble.

"But to be able to be out here and play, call it six rounds of golf, a practice round, pro-am, four competitive days, it's the cumulative effect of all that. I'm not able to do that yet. I'm still working on getting to that point," Woods said six weeks ago at Riviera, where he was host of the Genesis Invitational.

Agencies