Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson become the latest players to declare they’ll stay with PGA Tour

Three years on from his Masters miracle win, is Tiger Woods ready to leave Augusta in awe once more by playing in this year’s edition?

There was much to encourage his millions of admirers in an American TV interview he gave on Saturday with presenters Jim Nantz and Sir Nick Faldo — and leaving the door open for an April return was among them.

Ian Baker-Finch, also part of the US commentary team, was so enthused he came out with a bold declaration. ‘I think we’re going to see him make his comeback at the Masters,’ said the former Open Champion. If truth be told, we don’t know if that’s a distinct possibility but the fact Woods didn’t mock the proposition might well count for something.

Legendary golfer Tiger Woods has left the door open on a return to the Masters

In some quarters, there’s a growing belief that he’s nearer to a return than he is publicly letting on. It’s certainly looking promising for the 150th Open at St Andrews in July.

Nantz was desperate to get some confirmation of when Tiger will return. ’You’re really hammering me on this,’ smiled the 15-time major champion.

What was great to see was how relaxed and healthy Woods looked. What a contrast to an interview at the same time last year, when he was clearly in considerable pain following a fifth bout of back surgery.

The day following the interview, of course, was when he crashed his car and in his own words: ‘I decided to do a bit more damage to this old body.’

On the Saudi golf revolution front, there was more good news for the status quo on Sunday when Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson became the latest players to declare they are staying with the PGA Tour.

It is a significant blow to the Saudis. Johnson played in each of the four editions of the Saudi Invitational, winning two of them, and was intensely targeted.

‘I’m fully committed to the PGA Tour and very grateful to play on the best tour in the world,’ he said. DeChambeau said in his own statement: ‘While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding my support for another tour, I want to make it very clear that as long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so will I.’

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Bryson DeChambeau  says he’ll stay with the PGA Tour amid talks of Saudi breakaway league

Their rejections leave the Saudi golf commissioner Greg Norman with a bunch of 40-somethings. Good luck getting people to pay much attention to that.

A tour of 14 events is pencilled in to begin later this year with 10 in America, most of which are likely to take place on courses owned by Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, at the Genesis Invitational in California, where the top three going into the final round were all aged 24 or younger, Chilean Joaquin Niemann held a three-shot lead over American Cameron Young, with Norwegian Viktor Hovland six behind.