Will he or won’t he?
While Tiger Woods has been at the epicenter of golf for 25 years, his anxiously awaited decision on whether to play in the 2022 Masters has ignited interest the globe over to a level rarely, if ever, seen before.
Could the five-time Masters champion, 15-time major winner, and former world No. 1 actually make it to the first tee next Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club 13 months after nearly losing his life in a single-car accident?
Woods has fanned the flames of hope with reports of his practicing and playing at The Medalist in Florida and his reconnaissance trip Tuesday to Augusta National where he played all 18 holes alongside his son, Charlie. He’s also still on the list on the tournament’s website of past champions in the field.
If he were to play, it would be his first official tournament since February 23, when he suffered multiple, serious injuries to his right foot and right leg in a car crash north of Los Angeles; Woods later revealed that amputation of the leg was on the table.
Woods was bed-ridden for months. But he slowly recovered, his will leading the way, and played alongside Charlie in the 36-hole PNC Championship last December; the two wound up second. Woods hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since the 2020 November Masters, where he finished in a tie for 38th.
At the Hero World Challenge last December, a tournament he hosts and one that benefits his foundation, Woods said his goal was to return to the PGA Tour sometime in the future and play on a limited basis. He knew he needed time to ready himself to play against the best players in the world and to be able to walk 72 holes; he rode in a cart in the PNC Championship.
The time for his return could be next week.
Woods has said he will attend the Champions Dinner on Tuesday of Masters week. If history is any indication, Woods will announce his intentions on Friday.
If he decides to play, getting to the first tee alone would rank among his greatest comebacks in a career full of them.
Here are other comebacks he’s made that left onlookers in awe.
