The 2022 Masters Tournament begins on April 7 at Augusta National, and one storyline dominates the leadup. Tiger Woods, who has not played in an official PGA Tour event since November 2020, is rumored to be returning to competition at the Masters.
The last time Woods participated in an official PGA Tour event was the 2020 Masters, which was pushed back to November because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Woods rested the first part of 2021 as he recovered from a fifth back surgery. Then in February 2021, the pro-golfer was involved in a single-car accident that required multiple surgeries to his right leg.
The five-time Masters winner has still not announced an official decision regarding the 2022 tournament, but Woods is among the 91 participants on the Masters’ website.
Unlike other Tour events, there is no deadline for a player to commit to playing, so Woods could wait until April 7 to decide if he wanted to.
His return to action would be “phenomenal” for the sport, according to PGA Tour pro, Rory Mcllroy.
“I think for golf and for the Masters Tournament and for everyone, to have Tiger there would be phenomenal,” McIlroy said Wednesday. “I think it just adds to the event. Anything Tiger Woods does in the game of golf is heightened whenever he’s there. It would be awesome for him to be there. He’s trying to see what he can do. Obviously, no one knows but him if he can make it around and if he believes he can compete.”
The rumors of Woods’ return to the Masters intensified when his plane was spotted flying into Augusta, Georgia, from his South Florida home on Tuesday, March 29.
According to an ESPN report, Woods played a practice round at Augusta National of all 18 holes with his son, Charlie, and PGA Tour pro, Justin Thomas, his close friend.
Mcllroy was also on the property on Tuesday, scoping out some of the changes to the course.
“The sheer will and perseverance, it’s incredible,” McIlroy added about Woods. “If he comes back from this again — he likes to prove people wrong. He likes to prove himself wrong, I think. Regardless of when he does come back, he’s a wonderful addition to the game, and the game of golf is better when he’s playing and when he’s playing well.”
According to the Golf Channel’s senior writer, Rex Hoggard, Woods has regained his world-class ability.
“What I’ve heard from people in South Florida, the actual game itself — ball speed, club head speed — it’s all there, it’s all back,” said Hoggard on the podcast Golf Central.
Woods’ popularity has not waned despite not appearing in a PGA Tour event for over a year.
Woods won the inaugural Player Impact Program and its $8 million first prize on March 2. The award is given to the player who brings the most positive attention to the sport.
A combination of five criteria determines its recipient: Google searches; Meltwater mentions, which track how often a player gets mentioned across global media; MVP index, a measure of a player’s reach on social media; Nielsen score, which measures how often a player is featured on television broadcasts; and Q-score, a decades-old measure of a player’s familiarity and appeal.
Whether Tiger Woods plays in the Masters or not, it appears his return is imminent and will significantly boost the sport’s popularity.