Stronger Tiger Woods eyes challenge of return to Augusta National

AUGUSTA – Tiger Woods says he feels stronger than in 2022 as he prepares to make another emotional return to the US Masters.

A year ago, the former world No. 1 stunned the golf world by playing in the Masters, 14 months after suffering serious leg injuries in a 2021 car crash.

The 15-time Major champion struggled to walk 72 holes and finished 47th at Augusta National but says his fitness and strength have improved dramatically heading into this week’s showpiece in Georgia.

“My core is so much stronger than it was then,” Woods said. “That’s one of the reasons why I’ve got the (club) speed that I have.

“I’ve had to use it a different way but also be careful with my back being fused. It’s a challenge and that’s the fun part about it.”

He shared 45th place at the PGA Genesis Invitational six weeks ago, his third-round 67 the lowest in his comeback from bone-shattering injuries that continue to make walking a greater test than shot-making.

“I can hit golf balls. I can chip. I can putt. I can do all that stuff, but I haven’t walked and played a lot, so that’s the challenge,” the 47-year-old said.

“The body, sometimes it says no even though the mind says yes.”

Woods trimmed his 2022 schedule to the Masters, the PGA Championship – where he withdrew before the final round – and the British Open, where he missed the cut.

“I’m not going to play any more than probably the Majors and maybe a couple more. That’s it, that’s all my body will allow me to do,” he said of future years.

“My back the way it is, all the surgeries, my leg the way it is, I just can’t. That’s just going to be my future... Hopefully this year I can get all four and maybe sprinkle in a few here and there.

“But that’s it for the rest of my career. I know that and I understand that. That’s just my reality.”

He has also faced the fact that time is running out for him to even manage a slimmed-down schedule.

“There will come a point in time when my body will not allow me to do that any more,” he said. “And it’s probably sooner rather than later.”

For now, Woods said he made progress in restoring his game with four rounds at Riviera, finishing on one-under 283.

“It means a lot. It’s progress, headed in the right direction,” he said. “It certainly was a little bit more difficult than I probably let on.

“Even if I played four days at home, it’s not the same as adrenaline... the intensity, just the focus that it takes to play at this level.”

He must also chill his body after extreme efforts to ready himself for the next day’s challenge.

“I pretty much lay in ice all night. It’s not fun, very cold all the time,” he said. “It’s hard mentally, it’s hard physically.” AFP