Golfing legend Tiger Woods said in an Augusta National news conference that he is planning on competing at the 2022 Masters. Tuesday’s news conference came as Woods continued practicing at Augusta, something he had been doing since last week.
“As of right now, I feel like I am going to play,” Woods said at the news conference. He added that he was going to play nine practice holes Wednesday before making a final decision. If that decision is to compete, Woods would tee off at the Masters in a group with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann at 10:34 a.m. EDT Thursday.
“I love competing, and I feel like if I can still compete at the highest level, I’m going to, and if I feel like I can still win, I’m going to play, but if I feel like I can’t, then you won’t see me out here,” Woods said. “I don’t show up to an event unless I think I can win it so that’s the attitude I’ve had.”
Tiger Woods hasn’t competed against the world’s best players since late 2020 at that year’s pandemic-delayed Masters. Two month later, Woods had his fifth back surgery. A month after that, he nearly lost his right leg in a car accident.
Woods was going 80 mph when he crashed his SUV over a median on a suburban coastal road and down the side of a hill in Los Angeles. His injuries from the crash were so severe that doctors considered amputation. They ended up reassembling Woods’ leg by placing a rod in the tibia and using screws and pins to stabilize additional injuries in the ankle and foot.
“My recovery has been good. I’ve been very excited about how I’ve recovered each and every day,” Woods said Tuesday. “I don’t have any qualms about what I can do physically from a golf standpoint. It’s now walking is the hard part. This is normally not an easy walk to begin with. Now given the conditions that my leg is in, it gets even more difficult. You know, 72 holes is a long road, and it’s going to be a tough challenge and a challenge that I’m up for.”