It’s hard to know what’s holding Tiger Woods together. Just getting out once a month seems beyond him.
Maybe it’s optimism buoyed by his dramatic fifth Masters win five years ago – which was as glorious as it was unexpected – but there’s still a belief, however small, that something magical might happen.
That means he’s still one of the few people in our sport that can fill a room. Ten minutes before he was set to appear at his ‘traditional’ Masters press conference the seats were rapidly filling.
So what’s arrived from this year’s musings? Tiger talked about the prospect of becoming Ryder Cup captain, and here are five other nuggets the Big Cat laid out when questioned ahead of another Masters run.
Tiger Woods Masters: What has the 5-time winner been saying?
Can he really get one more Masters win?
He certainly believes it. You wouldn’t expect him to say anything else, would you? It’s a favourite of Tiger Woods’ bingo cards that he has an unshakable belief in his ability to win – regardless of whether that’s actually feasible or not.
But watch the footage if you can. It wasn’t as much what he said that struck a chord as the way he said it.
“If everything comes together, I think I can get one more.”
Woods said the day had not yet come when he didn’t feel like he could still compete in the Masters, and laughed off suggestions he might become an honorary starter.
He is in pain all the time
All that said, Woods continues to play in pain. The back is fused. So is the ankle. There’s not much of Tiger that hasn’t been under the knife. That is taking its toll.
“I ache every day,” he said. “And I prefer it warm and humid and hot. And I know we’re going to get some thunderstorms. So at least it will be hot. It won’t be like last year.”
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He’s convinced Rory will complete the Grand Slam at the Masters
It’s the 10th time McIlroy will play the Masters with the chance to not only win a green jacket but complete the grand slam of winning all four major championships. Only Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen have managed the modern version of Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and The Open.
It’s a recurring question, a voice that grows louder each time McIlroy goes close. But Woods believes his time will come.
“No question, he’ll do it at some point,” he explained. “Rory’s too talented, too good. He’s going to be playing this event for a very long time. He’ll get it done. It’s just a matter of when.
“But, yes, I think that Rory will be a great Masters champion one day, and it could be this week. You never know. I just think that just the talent that he has, the way he plays game and the golf course fits his eye, it’s just a matter of time.”
Course changes mean a sub-60 round isn’t possible
It’s almost as if making a 59 makes a golf course redundant in the eyes of some. It’s a fear that resonates most strongly at St Andrews Opens – but Woods doesn’t think we’ll see sub-60 scores at Augusta National.
“If we played the old yardage and the old tee boxes, I would say yes,” he said. “Not at 7,600 [yards]. When I first played here, the fairways were more cut down grain, now they’re into the grain. The overseed has gotten thicker. The golf course just plays stickier, in a sense. I know they sand capped all the fairways, but the roll-out is not what it used to be. So you just can’t sneak down there.”
He added: “When I played here in ’95, it was raining and I had a 60-degree sand wedge into 1, I had 8-iron into 2. I drove in the crosswalk on 5. I had 5-iron into 8. I drove it off the in crosswalk on 9 and 17. So there was a lot of 60-degree sand wedges. I had pitching wedge into 15. That doesn’t exist now.
“So I don’t think that’s a reality anymore just with the fact that we’re so far back.”
Making 24 consecutive cuts would mean a lot – even with all the majors wins
“I think it’s consistency, it’s longevity, and it’s an understanding of how to play this golf course,” Woods said when considering his bid to break the Masters record for most cuts made.
“That’s one of the reasons why you see players that are in their 50s and 60s make cuts here, or it’s players in their late 40s have runs at winning the event, just the understanding of how to play it.
“Now, you still have to go out and execute it, but there’s a lot of knowledge that goes into understanding how to play it.
“And, granted, every tee box has been changed since the first time I played. Every green has been changed. But the overall configuration of how they roll and how they move and the angles you take, that hasn’t changed.
“That’s the neat thing about this. I can still go through the mental Rolodex and bring out a few putts from the ’90s that still move generally in that direction and the effect that Rae’s Creek has on certain shots and putts. And it means a lot.”
Now have your say
What do you make of Tiger Woods’ Masters comments? Can he defy opinion and win a sixth Masters? Will Rory will the grand slam? Why not have your say by leaving me a comment on X.
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