Tiger Woods not only ready to play in The Masters but has sights set on winning

Tiger Woods is ready to tee up in the 86th Masters and insists he can land a sixth success at Augusta National despite not playing a full-blown event since November 2020.

The 15-time major winner announced on Sunday that he would make a “game-time decision” about playing in the season’s opening major, which starts on Thursday.

Woods suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash 14 months ago and his only competitive appearance since then was using a buggy to play with son Charlie in the PNC Championship in December.

Providing an update after playing nine holes at Augusta National on Sunday and Monday, Woods, who is making his third comeback after spells of being out for more than a year due to injury, said: “Well, as of right now, I feel like I am going to play.

Tiger Woods greets US Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson on the range prior to The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

“I'm going to play nine more holes tomorrow. My recovery has been good. I've been very excited about how I've recovered each and every day, and that's been the challenge.”

Woods, who returned to winning ways in the majors when landing a spectacular success here in 2019, first raised hopes of this being the stage for his reappearance when he paid a visit last Tuesday.

“That's why I came up here and tested it out for 27 holes,” he said of playing a round with Charlie and Justin Thomas and also the Par 3 Course. “But it's the recovery. How am I going to get all the swelling out and recover for the next day.

“My team has been fantastic and worked very hard. So we've got another day of nine more holes and then come game time.”

Despite his lack of competitive action and now being 46, Woods isn’t here to make up the numbers.

“I do,” he replied to being asked if he could win. “I can hit it just fine. 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 challenge of a major marathon and a challenge that I'm up for.”

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