Tiger Woods won The Masters in record-breaking fashion in 1997 before adding wins in 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019; the 15-time major champion's appearance at Augusta National is just his second official start since missing the cut at The Open last summer
Wednesday 5 April 2023 19:00, UK
Tiger Woods will have another opportunity to claim a record-equalling sixth victory at The Masters this week, although failed to talk up any prospects of him adding to his major tally.
Woods said he believed he could win the tournament ahead of the 2022 contest, despite it being his first start since suffering career-threatening injuries in a car crash 14 months, only to offer a different outlook about his form and fitness heading into this week's event.
"Last year I didn't know if I was going to play again at that time," Woods said in his pre-tournament press conference. "For some reason everything kind of came together and I pushed it a little bit and I was able to make the cut, which was nice.
"I didn't win the tournament, but for me to be able to come back and play was a small victory in itself. I don't know how many more I have in me. I'm able to appreciate the time that I have here and cherish the memories.
"[My] mobility, it's not where I would like it, but I've said to you guys before, I'm very lucky to have this leg. Yes, it has been altered and there's some hardware in there, but it's still mine. It has been tough and will always be tough."
The world No 1,001 underwent some light practice on Sunday then played nine holes in each of the next two days ahead of his 25th competitive appearance at Augusta, with Woods lacking the fitness that saw him win The Masters for a fifth time in 2019.
"The ability and endurance of what my leg will do going forward will never be the same," Woods added. "I understand that. That's why I can't prepare and play as many tournaments as I like, but that's my future, and that's okay. I'm okay with that.
"I think my game is better than it was last year at this particular time. I think my endurance is better. But it aches a little bit more than it did last year just because at that particular time when I came back, I really had not pushed it that often.
"I played in February in LA and then took a little time off before getting ready for this. I just have to be cognizant of how much I can push it. I can hit a lot of shots but the difficulty for me is going to be the walking going forward. It is what it is. I wish it could be easier."
Woods' practice round on Monday was with Tom Kim, Fred Couples and Rory McIlroy, who hinted it was only the mobility issues that preventing the five-time Masters champion from being a serious contender this week.
"He [Tiger] looks good," McIlroy said in his pre-tournament press conference. "If he didn't have to walk up these hills and have all of that, I'd say he'd be one of the favourites.
"I mean, he's got all of the shots. It's just that physical limitation of walking 72 holes, especially on a golf course as hilly as this, but we all know we never count Tiger out and he can do incredible things.
"You watch him on the range and you watch him hit chips and putts, and he's got all the aspects of the game that you need to succeed around this place. It's just the toll it takes on his body to compete over 72 holes."
Kim described his first official practice day at Augusta National as a 'dream' when he was included in the star-studded grouping, with the 20-year-old impressed to see how Woods prepares for a major.
"Just the amount of work he [Tiger] does around the greens. It was really cool to see, to pick which chip shots he was hitting and stuff like that. The positions he put himself in after he holed out, it was really cool to pick
"When I walked again, I got to kind of see where he pitched from. He has years and years of knowledge here, some success, so I'm pretty sure there's a reason why he's there."
Thomas joined Woods and Couples for more practice holes on Tuesday, with the two-time PGA champion relishing chance to continue the annual tradition of practising alongside the former Masters winners.
"I've said it for a handful of years now - I just follow those two around like a little puppy dog!" Thomas said. "They know how to get around this place, and all of us do, but every year, we hit chips from the same place and we hit lag putts from the same place. It's just great company.
"I'm very, very lucky that I get thrown into that group every year, and we've had a lot of fun over the years. You know, I hope we do it for many more."
Woods has only made four official starts since last year's tournament, withdrawing ahead of his final round at the PGA Championship and missing the cut at The Open before finishing tied-45th at February's Genesis Invitational, although Couples believes he still has the game to impress.
"I think when he tells you I'm only going to play four events and Augusta is one of them, he's ready to go," Couples said on Monday. "It's probably not going to be easy, but I think he'll be fine.
"I guess this [the leg] is what it is. I don't know how much better it's ever going to get. He's strong enough to hit it a mile. He's not hitting it as far as Rory, I don't think many people are, but he's hitting it really strong and solid and looks good."
Bernhard Langer said ahead of the tournament that he 'wouldn't be surprised' to see the Grand Slam winner high up the leaderboard this week, while Woods himself is unsure whether the field saw him as a threat.
"Whether I'm a threat to them or not, who knows," Woods added. "People probably didn't think I was a threat in 2019 either, but kind of turned out okay!"
Watch The Masters throughout the week live on Sky Sports! Live coverage of the opening round begins on Thursday from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf, with Woods part of early Featured Group action.
