Could Tiger Woods be playing in The Masters?

Will Tiger Woods play in The Masters? His private jet has recently been spotted in Augusta.

Tiger Woods’s private jet has been spotted at Augusta airport, which lends to the speculation that the world’s most famous golfer, and the PGA tour’s biggest draw will indeed play at the annual Masters tournament in April.

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Woods, who has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the sport after an 11 hole nightmare on February 5th, has remained out of the spotlight for weeks.

Should these rumors be truthful, Woods will look to secure his fifth Masters title, and first since 2005. He will also be seeking to end the longest majors drought of his esteemed career, as his last championship came at the 2008 U.S. Open.

Tiger’s impact on the game, both from a commercial and critical aspect has been nearly immeasurable. The PGA has undoubtedly experienced its highest ratings when Woods was at his all time peak. From 1997-2008, one could make an argument that the sport of professional golf was never fresher in the minds of the public.

And yet, one has to also examine his fall from grace. The once dominant champion, who captured his last major back at age 32, is now nearing 40. It is sometimes difficult to grasp that such a force could be diminished to his current standing as the 104th ranked player in the world. It is a place that has been unknown to Woods since his final days as an amateur.

What has been the cause of his struggles? While his transgressions of late 2009 still leave questions and scars that remain intact, he had been able to reclaim his world number one ranking as recently as 2013, holding the top spot for another full year. His success in the majors has never returned.

He appears to lack that ice cold demeanor, the one that made him so deadly on weekends for the better part of 12 years. Now moving day, provided Woods even makes a tournament’s cut, appears to be where things unravel for him.

Though the driving power has naturally tailed off somewhat with time and age, the precision in his short game and putting still lurks, somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind. Therein lies the answer.

Tiger should, in all likelihood, take a good long sabbatical away from the game; rediscover the mental fortitude that crafted him into the greatest threat Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 majors has ever seen. The PGA, as well as the rest of the golf world, needs that Tiger Woods back.

That is what Tiger should do. But if there is truth to these rumors, he will play. And that is truly a shame.

H/T The Big Lead via USA Today

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