Tiger Woods last featured in an official PGA Tour event at The Masters in November 2020; 15-time major champion still currently listed in the field playing at Augusta National - watch The Masters live from April 7-10 on Sky Sports
Thursday 31 March 2022 16:21, UK
The golfing world eagerly awaits to see whether Tiger Woods will make his comeback from injury at The Masters, but what would him playing mean for the rest of the players at Augusta National?
Woods fuelled speculation that he may be close to a competitive return to action when he travelled to Georgia and played a practice round on Tuesday, just over a week before the opening men's major of the year.
Rory McIlroy believes it would be "phenomenal" if Woods can contest at The Masters, some 13 and a half months on from suffering severe injuries in a life-threatening car crash in Los Angeles, with Sky Sports' Gary Murphy believing that the rest of the field could benefit from seeing the 46-year-old in action.
"I think the Tiger factor could be huge for The Masters this year," Murphy told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. "If Tiger does tee it up, which it seems like he will, he's not going to win it.
"What he'll probably do is his usual turn up and finish something stupidly good like seventh or eighth, having not played in so long!
"He will take so much of the hype off all the other players. You've got Rory McIlroy going for the Grand Slam, you've got Scottie Scheffler going for his first major, you've got Jon Rahm trying to win his second major, then you would have to fancy Justin Thomas.
"Tiger playing will take all the media attention and I'd say the other players are praying that he plays. Not just to see him back, but if he does play, it will take all the spotlight away from the other players."
As The Masters is technically an invitational event - and Woods is not taking another player's place in the field - he could wait until minutes before his tee time in the first round before deciding whether to play.
However, when battling injury in both 2016 and 2017, he announced his withdrawal on the Friday evening before tournament week via his official website.
Should Woods not feel ready for The Masters, he could also choose to play in the pre-tournament par-three contest on April 6, having previously said he would be fit enough to manage the nine holes. "I can do that now," Woods said during last month's Genesis Invitational.
"I think it will probably be a last-minute call, but how incredibly exciting it would be after everything he's been through over the course of the last year to see him there," Henni Koyack told Sky Sports News.
"I think it's a case of him [Tiger] testing out where his body is and getting a sense of what might be possible. It's still a long way to go yet, it's just brilliant to see him even contemplate it, because again given everything he's been through.
"The Masters is an incredibly special place to him historically - most recently in 2019. It's an incredible place to be, no matter what regard he might be there in, especially given everything he's been through and the seriousness of his accident and injuries.
"We saw at the World Golf Hall of Fame his daughter Sam saying that it's just amazing to see him walking again. To be able to walk in as special a place as Augusta is just really nice to see."
Woods has not played a round on the PGA Tour since the coronavirus-delayed 2020 Masters, which was played in November of that year. He has, however, played the last two editions of the PNC Championship alongside his son Charlie during that time.
Speaking on February 16 at a press conference ahead of his roles as tournament host at Riviera, Woods said he was frustrated at not being further ahead in his recovery. "I can play weekend warrior golf, that's easy, but to be able to be out here and play six rounds of golf - practice round, pro-am, four competitive days - I'm not able to do that yet," the 46-year-old said.
"It's quite intriguing how desperately Tiger Woods would want to play at this year's Masters," says Sky Sports News' Dharmesh Sheth. "It's the 25th anniversary of Woods' first Masters win, his first major.
"I don't think Woods would enter any kind of tournament, let alone the Masters, just to make up the numbers. Who would have predicted that victory in 2019 against all the odds?
"But this feels slightly different because this is 13 months on from a career-threatening, horrific car accident where he almost lost his leg. And he hasn't played any competitive golf since.
"If Tiger Woods enters a golf tournament, he goes there with the belief he can win it. If he was to do that it would be a sixth green jacket and a 16th major title."
Will Tiger Woods make his return at Augusta National? Watch The Masters live from April 4-10 on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening round begins on Thursday April 7 with Featured Groups from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf.
