Woods in line to play at Masters; eyes cut record

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Barring a setback in the next four days, it seems likely that five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods will make his 26th appearance at Augusta National Golf Club this week.

Woods, 48, flew from Stuart, Florida to Augusta on Sunday and spent some time at the club’s practice area with his caddie, Lance Bennett. Woods and Bennett worked together at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles in February.

Augusta National Golf Club posted photos of Woods practicing Sunday on its X account.

A Sunday stroll. #themasters pic.twitter.com/2El1GGM1Fj

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 7, 2024

It will be the first time Woods and Bennett have worked together at Augusta National. Woods’ former caddie, Joe LaCava, who helped him win his fifth green jacket in 2019, is now working as Patrick Cantlay’s full-time caddie.

This week, Woods will attempt to set a Masters record by making the cut for the 24th consecutive time. Last year, he made the 36-hole cut and tied Gary Player and Fred Couples but was forced to withdraw before the rain-delayed third round resumed after aggravating plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

In his last start, Woods was forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational during the second round because of illness. The 15-time major champion later confirmed that he was battling the flu. Woods also dealt with lower back tightness during that tournament.

Notah Begay III, Woods’ former teammate at Stanford and a golf analyst for NBC Sports, said on a conference call last week that Woods was suffering from lower back problems.

“He’s trying to formulate a strategy and approach that he can work within given the constraints that he’s presented with — and he’s got some constraints,” Begay said “He’s got zero mobility in that left ankle and really has low-back challenges now, which he knew he was going to have.”

Woods’ appearance at the Genesis Invitational, which benefits his foundation, was his only appearance on the PGA Tour this season. Because of his inactivity, the former world No. 1 golfer is currently ranked 950th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Woods had surgery on April 19, 2023 to address post-traumatic arthritis in his right ankle that was caused by injuries suffered in a February 2021 car wreck.

Woods played in a one-day pro-member tournament at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida, in early March. He reportedly played with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, in the Bahamas before Woods and other PGA Tour policy board player directors met with PIF officials about a potential investment.

Since returning to professional golf after the car wreck, Woods has withdrawn or missed the cut in four of his six starts. His two finishes were a tie for 45th in the 2023 Genesis Invitational and a solo 47th in the 2022 Masters.

“For the past couple months, he’s been trying to find a way to recover,” Begay said. “He can play the golf. We always knew the question was going to be ‘Can he walk the 72 [holes]?’ That’s still up in the air. But can he recover from one round to the next? That’s the biggest question that I really don’t know, and he’s not going to know either until he gets out there and figures out whether the way he’s prepared for this year’s Masters is going to work for him.”

Woods’ last top-20 finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for ninth at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open. He finished outside the top 20 in 14 consecutive tour starts, his longest drought as a professional, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.