As Duke and head coach Mike Krzyzewski attempt to put a storybook ending on his legendary coaching career in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, another you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up sports story may be unfolding.
Listed on the field list for the Masters (unlike Phil Mickelson) next week, Tiger Woods traveled to Augusta National Golf Club with his son Charlieon Tuesday to play a practice round and gauge whether he is ready to compete in the tournament he has won five times. (He has been practicing.)
If Woods is somehow able to compete, it would be his first official tournament since a serious car crash last February that left him hospitalized for weeks and unable to walk for months. Woods has played golf since the crash, but has downplayed his chances of competing in a major anytime soon at every turn. However, it seems he may be ready to take the plunge and attempt to play 72 holes at Augusta National.
“The most likely current scenario is that Woods himself doesn’t even know whether or not he’s playing,” per Golf.com. “He’ll test the waters. He’ll see what it’s like to walk Augusta National. And he’ll play if he thinks he can contend. It’s fairly simple but endlessly intriguing. By the time you read this, more information will likely be available.”
Following the news of Woods heading to Augusta to test himself on the course, Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated detailed what it will take for the 46-year-old to play. “Hitting shots is not so much the issue as is the waking associated with the game. Woods moved cautiously when he played an exhibition with Charlie in December,” Harig wrote. “While his game looked amazingly good, he rode a cart for the 36-hole event and labored at times when he did have to walk. The trip to Augusta was likely to see how he would handle walking the hilly course.”
Woods does not have to disclose if he is playing or not until next week and he could theoretically test his ability to play more at Augusta or elsewhere before deciding if he wants to pursue his sixth win at the Masters. If Woods does play at the Masters starting on April 7, it will be a hell of a comeback story even if he bombs and misses the cut. Woods is 60-1 to don his sixth green jacket in the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
So you’re saying there’s a chance …
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