Golf icon Tiger Woods said Tuesday that “as of right now” he is planning to play in the upcoming Masters Tournament, which would be his first major event since he was severely injured in a car accident last year.
“As of right now, I feel like I am going to play,” Woods said at a press conference, adding: “I’ve worked hard to get to this point to test it out and see if I can do this.”
Woods noted that he will play nine more practice holes on Wednesday before ultimately making his final decision, but said he will practice with the intent on playing Thursday.
“It’s great to be back,” he said.
Thursday’s opening round would mark the first time Woods competes against the world’s best players since Nov. 15, 2020, which was the final round of that year’s pandemic-delayed Masters.
Woods had his fifth back surgery two months later and was still recovering from that on Feb. 23, 2021 when he crashed his SUV over a median on a suburban coastal road in Los Angeles and down the side of a hill.
Woods’ injuries from that crash were so severe that doctors considered right leg amputation, before reassembling the limb by placing a rod in the tibia and using screws and pins to stabilize additional injuries in the ankle and foot.
“It’s been a tough, tough year … but here we are,” Woods said.
Woods, 46, won the prestigious tournament five times over the course of his legendary golfing career, most recently in 2019 after returning from multiple lower back surgeries.
When asked Tuesday if he thinks he can win a sixth green jacket, he simply replied: “I do.”
