Tiger Woods Relentlessly Defies Past Horrible Masters
With his career-high 72-hole score of 16 over 304, Tiger Woods concluded the Masters on Sunday with a record he could live without.
At the Memorial in 2015, Woods’ prior high was 302. The only other time he has failed to break 300 was two years ago at the Masters, where he finished at 301 after shooting 78-78 on the weekend.
Woods declared it a “good week” in spite of the result, adding that he will start getting ready for the remaining three majors—the British Open in July, the U.S. Open in June, and the PGA Championship in May.
“I knew going into this golf course that Pinehurst, Valhalla, and Troon are where I was going to do my homework, that is, however, essentially the strategy.”
Tiger Woods
He felt satisfied with his performance overall.
After not participating in a complete tournament for a very long time, Woods commented, “It was a good fight on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out the way I had hoped on Saturday.”
It was barely noticeable to the throng.
A thunderous cheer went up from the audience as 48-year-old Woods made par on the 18th hole, despite still having to contend with the aftereffects of multiple operations that have affected his physique and restricted his playing time on the PGA Tour.
Tasseled his hat to the audience while sporting his Sunday best scarlet. So far in one competition, Woods has only completed 24 holes.
“I’m just going to keep lifting, keep the motor running, keep the body moving, keep getting stronger, and keep improving.”
“I’m hoping that the practice periods will continue to lengthen.”
Tiger Woods
When he was done, Woods ranked last out of the sixty players who had made the cut. He had previously placed last in the Riviera Genesis Invitational in 2020.
Even if he isn’t as dominant at Augusta National as he once was, fans still came to see the guy who catapulted golf’s popularity to unprecedented heights.
In 2020, the year following his incredible fifth triumph at the age of 43, Woods tied for 38th, marking his last true competitive finish.
Two years prior, he had finished in the top 13. Unfortunately, the cold, wet conditions that year had clearly taken a severe toll on his body, and he was forced to quit in the third round of the 2023 tournament owing to injuries.
This week, Woods shown brief flashes of his former brilliance while primarily depending on his course expertise.
For the record 24th time, he completed the first two rounds in one over. But Woods struggled through the last two rounds, finishing Saturday with an 82, the lowest round of his major career.
Because I know this golf course and how to play it, it’s always pleasant to return here, according to Tiger Woods. I’m able to mimic shots in some ways. It’s never quite the same as really going out and doing it, though.
On Sunday, he shot 77 in his 100th career round at the Masters, finishing the last 36 holes in 15 over. On the practice range prior to the round, Woods seemed to pick up some swing advice from his 15-year-old son Charlie.
Although things weren’t too bad at first, that didn’t last long.
When Woods took an unplayable lie on the par-4 fifth hole, he had to be driven back to the tee box on a golf cart in order to hit again. Woods had played the first two holes in 1 under. His final score was a triple-bogey 7.
On the sixth, he added still another bogey.
On way to winning the fourth of his five championships at Augusta in 2005, he came dangerously close to chipping in from the sand on hole number sixteen, thrilling the crowd and evoking happy memories.
According to Tiger Woods, facing the wind—which occasionally reached 45 mph with gusts—was the hardest part of the week for him.
“The course was playing really tough, given what it was doing to the golf shots, balls, and putting.”
“Here, being out of place doesn’t take much. Sadly, on Saturday and a few times today, I was out of position quite a bit.”
Tiger Woods
