Each year that Tiger Woods walks into the press room at Augusta National ahead of the US Masters, it feels like golf’s equivalent of a State of the Union address.
Woods has come before us as a phenomenon, as a champion, as a master of the universe, as a penitent and as an underdog hero. Five ages of Tiger have come and gone and on Tuesday he gave us a sixth: the survivor.
For the first time anyone could remember, Woods, who will tee off at 3.18pm UK time with Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele in Thursday’s first round, did not say he believed he could triumph in a tournament he has won five times. Instead he talked affectionately about the memories of everything he has achieved here, the players he has learned from and the friendships he has made.
‘It means so much in my heart to be able to come here,’ he said. He did not talk about his career in the past tense but came close. At times, he was almost overcome with nostalgia.
He talked more about his ongoing efforts to cope with the repercussions of the serious leg injuries he suffered when he lost control of the car he was driving in the hills above Los Angeles in February 2021, careered across a central reservation and flipped the car on its back. He did not mention how lucky he was that no one was coming in the opposite direction. Taking responsibility for his actions off the course has never been a big part of his lexicon.
Tiger Woods goes into the Masters wondering how many more he has left in him, aged 47
Woods has received the famous green jacket five times during his legendary career (pictured after his second win in 2001)
Following his serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021, he wonders how his right leg will stand up to demands of marching up and down Augusta’s plunging fairways each day
Instead, he wondered aloud how many more Masters appearances he will be able to make and how his right leg will stand up to the demands of marching up and down Augusta’s plunging fairways for five hours a day and, possibly, for four days in succession. ‘I don’t know how many more I have in me,’ he said.
Rory McIlroy said earlier he believed that Woods still had the shots and the ability to win the tournament but he wasn’t sure that he possessed the physical endurance.
Woods said: ‘My mobility is not where I would like it but I’m very lucky to have this leg. It’s mine. Yes, it has been altered and there’s some hardware in there but it’s still mine. It has been tough and it will always be tough.
‘The ability and endurance of what my leg will do going forward will never be the same. I understand that. That’s why I can’t prepare for, and play, as many tournaments as I would like to but that’s my future and that’s ok.’
Something approaching sentimentality — a tone that Woods, 47, has often eschewed in the past — has begun to creep into his words, too, and he talked fondly about his enduring friendship with Fred Couples and how much he had enjoyed playing a practice round with him this week. He talked about his youth and playing with Severiano Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal. ‘It gives me chills just thinking about that,’ Woods said.
The sense of life’s shifting sands was everywhere in Woods’ slight wistfulness. He talked about giving back to the sport, being at a stage of his life where he is giving more advice than he is taking. He spoke like a man who has just begun to realise he cannot outrun time for ever. He laughed about how he knows more players on the Champions Tour now than on the full tour. ‘The difficulty is going to be the walking,’ he said. ‘I wish it could be easier. I’ve got three more years and then I get the little buggy and I’ll be out there with Fred. But until then, no buggy.’
Woods will tee off at 3.18pm UK time on Thursday in the opening day of the Masters
He joked, too, about proposed changes to equipment and golf balls in an attempt to protect some older courses from the increasing distances his peers are launching their drives.
He was asked how the changes might impact him. ‘Well, by the time it takes effect, I may be long gone,’ he said. ‘I may be in the buggy and off we go.’
But Woods also provided a few rare glimpses of the mindset that has made him the greatest golfer of the modern era. ‘I have always enjoyed the seclusion of practising,’ he said, as if the range and the practice green were sanctuaries to him, shelter from real life.
He talked about how he had amused himself by hitting a few balls with his old Persimmon driver. ‘I was still able to carry the ball 290 yards,’ he said.
It was only towards the end of his address that some of his old defiance returned when he was asked what had been the key to his ability to overcome adversity. ‘Stubbornness,’ he said. ‘Yeah, you guys have seen me. I’m a little on the stubborn side. I believe in hard work and I believe in getting out there and getting out of it what you put into it. I’ve worked very hard throughout my career and in my craft and I’ve always loved it.
‘I’ve hung in there and fought on each and every shot. It means something. Each and every shot means something. People ask now whether the guys who are the favourites to win this week will see me as a threat. Whether I’m a threat to them or not, who knows.
‘People probably didn’t think I was a threat in 2019 either but that kind of turned out OK.’