Can Tiger keep his Masters cut streak alive?
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Tiger Woods has made the cut 22 straight times at the Masters, a streak he will put on the line next week at Augusta.
Woods has missed the cut just once in 24 career appearances at the major, when he shot six-over in two rounds while playing in the tournament for the second time in 1996. He won the Green Jacket a year later, shooting under par in every round en route to a career-best 18-under finish.
Woods made his first tournament appearance in well over a year at the 2022 Masters, returning to tour play for the first time since suffering serious injuries in a car wreck on Feb. 23, 2021. Despite playing through pain, the 47-year-old posted a 1-under 71 in his first round and kept his cut streak alive as he shot 2-over on Day 2. He shot six-over in each of his final two rounds to finish in 47th at 13-over.
Given the circumstances, Woods was pleased with his performance.
"Just to be able to play, and not only just to play, but I put up a good first round," Woods said after his final round. "I got myself there. I don't quite have the endurance that I would like to have had, but as of a few weeks ago, didn't even know if I was going to play in this event.
"To go from that to here, we're excited about the prospects of the future, about training, about getting into that gym and doing some other stuff to get my leg stronger, which we haven't been able to do because it needed more time to heal. I think it needs a couple more days to heal after this, but we'll get back after it, and we'll get into it."
Tiger appeared in two more tournaments last year, withdrawing from the PGA Championship after the third round that saw him shoot nine-over 79 at the Southern Hills Country Club in late May and missing the missing the cut at The Open in July.
Tiger more in form entering Masters play this year
The five-time Masters champion enters this year's tournament having warmed up his game at the Genesis Invitational in February.
The California tournament marked Woods' first competitive play since the previous summer and he saw mixed results, again after a strong start. He posted a 2-under 69 to begin the tournament and made the cut despite a 3-over second day. Woods appeared to find his form again with a four-under 67 in his third round but shot 2-over in his final round to finish tied for 45th at 1-under for the week.
"It was progress, but obviously I didn't win," Woods said after his final round. "My streak continues here at Riv... I felt like the first couple days I left certainly a lot of shots out there with some putts, especially Friday when I was blocking everything. Yesterday was better. Still wish I could have gotten within a touch of the leaders, but today they're running away with it."
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Woods appeared to be more comfortable on his surgically repaired right leg, ankle, and foot, but said he was still feeling some pain.
"It certainly was a little bit more difficult than I probably let on," Woods said. "My team has been fantastic in getting my body recovered day to day and getting me ready to play each and every day. That's the hard part that I can't simulate at home. Even if I played four days at home, it's not the same as adrenaline, it's not the same as the system being ramped up like that, the intensity, just the focus that it takes to play at this level."
The 15-time major champion acknowledged after the tournament that he it was possible he would not play again before the Masters, with his focus on playing in the premier events.
"Here's the deal: Like I told you guys last year, I'm not going to play any more than probably the majors and maybe a couple more," Woods said. "That's it, that's all my body will allow me to do. My back the way it is, all the surgeries I had on my back, my leg the way it is, I just can't. That's just going to be my future.
"So, my intent last year was to play in all four majors. I got three of the four. Hopefully this year I can get all four and maybe sprinkle in a few here and there. But that's it for the rest of my career. I know that and I understand that. That's just my reality."
Can Woods win it all once again?
Woods defied the odds when he won his fifth Green Jacket in 2019. His victory at 13-under came one year after he finished tied for 32nd, having missed three of the previous four Masters before that.
A win this year would seemingly be an even bigger feat for Tiger, who has dropped to 995th in the World Golf Rankings.
He remains tied with Sam Snead atop the career PGA Tour wins list at 82 and said last year he would only keep teeing it up if he believes he can win.
“I love competing,” he said prior to the Masters last year, “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.”