But in a sports year unlike any other in modern times, Woods has been a far less daunting presence because of his balky lower back, which has been surgically repaired four times. Playing infrequently, Woods has turned in several sparkling rounds when his swing was fluid and his movements supple. But it has been just as common to see Woods limping 24 hours later, with one hand pressed against a back warped by reshaped bone and scarred tissue, toiling fruitlessly in pain.
In July, after one such uneven performance in consecutive rounds of the Memorial Tournament, Woods explained the hour-by-hour unpredictability of his back. That morning, he felt limber when he woke up, but a few hours later he was too stiff to take a full golf swing. Its going to happen more times than not, he said and smiled.
This is Woodss new reality, which includes the understanding that if he is going to win the three more major golf championships needed to tie Jack Nicklauss record total of 18, or match Nicklauss record six Masters titles, it will probably have to happen in the next few years.
With the clock ticking this season, Woods has struggled. In the six tournaments he has entered since the PGA Tour resumed in June after a three-month layoff caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Woods has not finished higher than a tie for 37th. In the five majors he has played since his 2019 Masters victory, he has missed the cut three times, tied for 21st and tied for 37th.
Nonetheless, his much younger colleagues on the PGA Tour, as well as his contemporaries in the champions-only Augusta National locker room, uniformly consider him among the favorites this week. So do online betting sites.
The whole world saw what Tiger did in the final round last year when he methodically chased down every name ahead of him on the leader board, said Gary Woodland, the 2019 United States Open champion. It was proof of his talent but also showed the depth of his invaluable experience on that golf course.read more
Count Tiger Woods Out? Not at Augusta National
