Augusta, GA — The time is here, the week all golf fans have waited months for, the Masters. Oh, and by the way, TIGER IS BACK
Tiger Woods Playing This Week
After a car accident that happened over a year ago, Tiger Woods surprised everyone by announcing Tuesday, “As of now, I am playing.” In addition to this, he also was asked if he think he had a shot of winning this week. Woods has said in the past, he only plays if he thinks he can win. So, when he answered the question with, “I do,” it was not surprising to anyone.
However, the golf expectations for Woods this week are very low. I think I speak on behalf of all golf fans when I say, we are just happy he is back. The players are happy he is back. The media is happy he is back. Everyone is smiling ear to ear knowing they get to watch Woods walk the pristine Augusta fairways. Just look at the crowd he got on Monday’s practice round. Let’s just remember, this was a practice round.
Stephen A. Smith said it best on First Take Monday, “This is the first time he has 0 golf expectations.” This is 100% true. Look at it this way, after his car accident, there was a chance not only that he could have lost a leg, and maybe even have been killed. That could have been the end of his career. Then there is one thing you need to remember; this is Tiger Woods.
Now the question becomes, how will Woods do in the tournament? There are many factors to look at, the first being health. There is no doubt that he has been hitting the ball well and that is not the problem this week, it will be walking. Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee even said,
“The greats don’t forget how to win, but inevitably at some point their body no longer is capable of doing the things that they need to do, that their mind gives them clarity to do. I know he’s superhuman, but at some point, you’ve got to think time is going to say enough.”
There are two aspects that need to be looked at when it comes to his health this week. These are first his legs that were hurt in the car accident and his back, which has always been a lingering problem for Woods. Tiger himself has said many times that it is easy for him to play in a cart since his accident, but walking is the troublesome part. This week, he has only played nine-hole practice rounds. Now he is going to have to go two to four days walking a full 18 holes on one of the toughest walking courses on tour. That is a huge difference for someone who has already been having trouble walking a golf course. The back nine on the other hand, will affect his play much more. Tiger has had multiple back surgeries in the past few years and has noted that his back does stiffen up when it’s cold. Well, it is supposed to be a little chilly in Georgia on Friday and Saturday. With all these factors, don’t be surprised if Woods considers withdrawing at some point.
Other Top Players to Watch
While Woods has taken over the headlines, there are still many players who are likely to be in contention this week. The three that come to mind are Cameron Smith, Scottie Scheffler, and Jordan Spieth.
Smith has been lighting up the PGA Tour recently. It helps that his last start was a win at The Players Championship where he tore up the field in his hometown of Ponte Vedra. In all five of his Masters starts, Smith has made the cut. This included two top 10 finishes and a runner-up in 2020. There is no doubt the field should fear the mullet this week as Smith has been at the top of his game. In addition, Smith also leads the tour in scoring average at 69.274. Hopefully he can keep this going at Augusta.
The only person who has probably been playing better is Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler has won three events just in the past few months, getting him all the way to that World No.1. In general, it is hard for World No.1 to win the Masters. This has been changing recently when Dustin Johnson won as World No.1 in 2020. What is interesting to look at is that Scheffler is not in the top five on tour in any of the stats tracked on pgatour.com. We will see how this affects him this week. Scheffler was already joking around in his press-conference earlier this week. “I’m not going to talk about the golf because that didn’t go as well for me, but I destroyed them in board games last night,” he said.
You cannot talk about the Masters without talking about 2015 champion, Spieth. Spieth has always played well at Augusta Nationals. He has also never missed a cut during Masters, however, his best runs at the tournament were in 2014, 2015, and 2016. 2014 runner-up, 2015 champion, and the famous collapse on 12 in 2016, leading to another runner-up finish. Not to mention, he also finished T-3rd last year in the 2021 Masters. “I’m really excited for the week, it’s the best week of the year,” Spieth said at the Par-3 contest Wednesday. This course plays very well to Spieth’s game, so expect him to be in contention once again.
In other news, Spieth also seemed in good spirits when asked about the Champions Dinner that took place Tuesday night.
Masters Surprising Player and Stats
One player who was not mentioned above who could surprise people this week, is Will Zalatoris. Currently he is the top player on tour in strokes gained from tee to green. This is arguably the most important stat there is to be tracked. Zalatoris came onto the scene when he got his first career top 10 at the US Open. He is still looking for that first PGA Tour win, how special would it be if it came with a green jacket.
As for stats, early Wednesday on the Golf Channel broadcast, they averaged the world golf ranking of all the Masters champions sincee 2017. The number came out to just around No. 14. Right now, the player sitting at No. 14 is Louis Oosthuizen. Judging from the Par-3 contest today, it looks like he is more than ready to start play.
Let’s Get Excited
Now, let’s all sit back and enjoy watching the action this week. We only get this once a year. Make your pimento cheese sandwiches, wear your green polos, and have sweet tea ready. It’s time for a tradition like no other — welcome to the Masters.
