Tiger Woods set for Masters return after Augusta National practice
IT WAS a good job that Tiger Woods did not wait another 24 hours before playing a practice round at Augusta National ahead of next week's Masters.
Reports on Wednesday that his private plane had been spotted at the local airport would have been treated as an April Fool's joke, rather than the biggest indication to date that the former world number one will end his self-imposed exile from the game in the Masters.
Thankfully, the reports were on March 31 and from a credible source, the Augusta Chronicle, while Woods's agent eventually confirmed that his client had played 18 holes with two club members.
At the time of writing, Woods had not officially stated whether he would compete at Augusta having not played since February 5, when he withdrew during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open. Less than a week later he announced that he was taking an indefinite break from the game, saying that his game was not up to his standards.
However, given that he hardly needs to familiarise himself with a venue where he was won four of his 14 major titles, it is looking increasingly likely that the 39-year-old will not miss the year's first major championship for the second year in succession.
Last year Woods announced, coincidentally on April 1, that he would miss the Masters for the first time in his career after undergoing back surgery. He also did not contest the US Open at Pinehurst, finished 69th in the Open at Hoylake and missed the cut in the US PGA Championship a week after withdrawing from the Bridgestone Invitational with more back problems.
It s going to be a fun year - Woods [AMBIENT]
I don't think we should be too hasty to write him off because he's gone through so many swing changes in the past
So far this season Woods has withdrawn from one tournament and recorded the worst score of his career - 82 - in the other, with some fearing he is suffering from the "yips" with his short game.
"It's just not him but, then again, he's not had the club coming from the position it is at the moment and it's just a struggle," Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke says.
"But I don't think we should be too hasty to write him off because he's gone through so many swing changes in the past and managed to prove people wrong. He's one of best players that's ever played the game and we tend to forget that a bit too quickly.
"Due to Rory McIlroy coming along and Jordan Spieth playing so well, people are saying 'Tiger's done, he's finished' but I wouldn't be quite as quick to write him off as he's a special man.
"He's four years younger than me when I won a major. You can't be as good as he was then lose it all. The changes he's making are not because he wanted to make them; they're because of his injury. It's a difficult scenario when something like that is forced upon you."
In his last nine appearances in the Masters, Woods has only finished outside the top six once. But given everything that has happened in the last 18 months, just finishing the tournament would be viewed as success.
