All signs point to Tiger Woods playing at the Masters

For the first time since his car accident last year, Tiger Woods appears set to make a triumphant comeback at the Masters

For much of the past week, Tiger Woods has demonstrated the hold his name still has on the collective golf world. It’s all because of one question: will he or won’t he be at Augusta National when the Masters begins on Thursday?

Woods has kept his ultimate decision to himself, and perhaps he still doesn’t know himself whether he’ll be able to play. But he gave a clue on Sunday morning that he’s closer than ever to playing again for the first time in more than a year.

Woods posted a message on social media that he’s heading to Augusta on Sunday to get in some preparation and practice, but that it’s still a “game-time decision” whether or not he’ll still be there on Thursday. It will be his second time playing a practice round at Augusta in the past week; on Tuesday, following the most closely followed American flight since Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic as his Gulfstream jet took off from South Florida northbound to Augusta, he played a full 18 holes with his son Charlie and Justin Thomas.

When the Masters formally begins in just four days, it will have been just over 400 days since Woods’ Genesis SUV veered off the road in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Doctors said he was lucky to be alive. His right leg, severely damaged by the accident, was nearly amputated. Other than a joyful time with Charlie at the PNC Championship in December, Woods hasn’t played a competitive round of golf since.

In February, while serving as host of the Genesis Invitational, Woods gave an indication of the long road he continued to face while trying to come back. “I wish I could tell you when I’m playing again. I want to know, but I don’t. My golf activity has been very limited. I can chip and putt really well and hit short irons very well, but I haven’t done any long stuff seriously. I’m still working,” he said.

“It takes time. What’s frustrating is it’s not at my timetable. I want to be at a certain place, but I’m not.”

Tiger Woods: The Masters would be an ideal scene for his comeback

Making the Masters the scene of his greatest comeback, a place that holds so many memories and wonderful moments for him, would be a fitting capstone. He’s a five-time champion. He’s the youngest winner at the Masters, has the largest margin of victory, and has the best scoring average of any player in tournament history. Those are just some of the 36 Masters records compiled by Golf Digest’s E. Michael Johnson that he still holds.

There are still some challenges. Will his leg be able to handle Augusta’s notorious steep slopes? Can he walk a course, not just for 18 holes, but for a full four days? What is the state of his game after such a long layoff?

These are questions he still has to answer for himself. But the 2022 Masters won’t be about winning another Green Jacket, not this time. Even for golf’s greatest winner and fiercely competitive champion, just being there will be Woods’ biggest achievement.

He’s made history at Augusta so many times before. The 2022 Masters is shaping up to be the scene of another legendary moment in an already legendary career.

The golf world will just have to wait until Thursday.