Tiger Woods made a trip to Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday, perhaps a sign that the 15-time major champion intends to tee it up at the Masters on April 11.
It would be 48-year-old Woods’ 26th Masters appearance. The five-time Masters champion, who tied Gary Player and Fred Couples last year, can break the tournament record with his 24th straight made cut. Woods’ right foot’s plantar fasciitis worsened last year, and he withdrew before the third round could begin due to rain.
One flight-tracking account on X, Radaratlas2, reported early on Saturday morning that Woods’s Gulfstream G550 jet was scheduled to land in Augusta, Georgia.
This season, Woods has only participated in one complete competitive round on the PGA Tour. Flu-related, he pulled out of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club south of Los Angeles on February 16 after six holes of the second round.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner was making his first appearance in over a decade at an official PGA Tour tournament. On April 19, he underwent surgery to treat post-traumatic arthritis in his right ankle, which was brought on by injuries he sustained in a car accident in February 2021.
In early December, Woods hosted the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, where he participated in 72 holes and placed 18th out of 20 players.
In the past, Woods had expressed his desire to participate in one tournament per month, provided his health permitted it. This month, he stayed out of the Players Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Early in March, Woods participated in a one-day Pro-Member competition held at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida. Before meeting with PIF officials about a potential investment, Woods and other PGA Tour policy board player directors reportedly played golf with Yasir Al-Rummayan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, in the Bahamas.
Following his automobile accident-related comeback to the professional game, Woods has withdrawn from four of his six starts or failed to make the cut. In the 2023 Genesis Invitational, he tied for 45th place, while in the 2022 Masters, he finished solo in 47th place.