Even if Tiger Woods was out of the question for victory at the Masters in Augusta before the final round, that couldn’t stop the enthusiasm for the golf superstar.
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Again and again loud cheers erupted in the crowded stands after his punches. It seemed like Woods never left. Only 14 months after his serious car accident, the 46-year-old Californian made the cut for the 22nd time in a row at the Masters and once again wrote golf history with his impressive comeback.
“Just never give up. Always chase your dreams. And I fight every single day,” Woods explained his credo, with which he fought his way back to the traditional major tournament. “Every single day is a challenge. I wake up and start the fight all over again.”
Woods: ‘I’m coming around’
In February 2021, Woods lost control of his SUV south of Los Angeles, rolled over several times and was hospitalized with numerous fractures in his right leg. An amputation was up for debate, and for three months he just lay in bed.
A good year later, the 15-time major winner on the beautiful Magnolia Lane immediately leaves a number of top players behind: Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, powerhouse Bryson DeChambeau and Olympic champion Xander Schauffele – all fail at the cut. Woods, on the other hand, makes the leap into the weekend right away.
The fact that he played the worst Masters round of his career with 78 strokes on the third day and missed all chances of winning the classic in the US state of Georgia made almost no difference. Thousands of enthusiastic fans again ran with their idol over the par 72 course of the Augusta National Golf Club.
“I don’t feel as good as I would like to feel, but that’s okay,” said Woods, referring to his long break from competition. “That’s why I’m a bit rusty, but I’m slowly coming around.”
“My team did a hell of a job”
He had previously compared his battered body to a racing car. “My team did a hell of a job getting me in there and fixing the bodywork,” explained the five-time Master Champion. “You should know that from Nascar: Break it, fix it. I’m good at breaking it. You’re good at fixing it.”
25 years after his first triumph in Augusta, when he clinched his first major title by a record twelve shots, Tiger Woods is again making shots that look like what Tiger Woods shots look like. Little indicated complaints in his first appearance on the PGA Tour since the 2020 Masters, which was postponed until the fall. All he could see was a slight limp and he didn’t kneel as low on the greens as he used to.
“It’s good to have you back out here, big cat,” tweeted US competitor Kevin Kisner. And Justin Thomas also raved: “It’s really unbelievable. Wow! I’m so happy for him.” Woods’ close friend was one of the few who saw his friend’s injured leg after the accident. “It was horrific. I saw how hard he worked,” said Thomas. Woods is simply “the greatest of all time”. (dpa)
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