Tiger Woods Announces He'll Be a 'Game-Time Decision' for 2022 Masters
April 3, 2022
Tiger Woods could be returning to competitive golf on the sport's biggest stage.
Woods said he is a "game-time decision" for the 2022 Masters Tournament in a tweet sent out Sunday.
Tiger Woods @TigerWoodsI will be heading up to Augusta today to continue my preparation and practice. It will be a game-time decision on whether I compete. Congratulations to 16-year-old Anna Davis on an amazing win at the <a href="https://twitter.com/anwagolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@anwagolf</a> and good luck to all the kids in the <a href="https://twitter.com/DriveChipPutt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DriveChipPutt</a>.
The 15-time major champion has not competed in a tournament since the 2020 Masters, which was held in November of that year instead of April because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He underwent a fifth microdiscectomy procedure on his back in December 2020 and was then involved in a car crash in February 2021 that nearly resulted in the amputation of his right leg.
While Woods has been hard at work rehabbing the injury for the last 14 months, the possibility of his return to golf at the highest level seemed remote. Woods consistently downplayed the possibility of returning to action anytime soon and admitted his career as a full-time golfer is over.
"I think something that is realistic is playing the tour one day—never full-time ever again—but pick and choose, just like Mr. [Ben] Hogan did. Pick and choose a few events a year, and you play around that," Woods told Dan Rapaport of Golf Digest in November. "You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. I think that’s how I’m going to have to play it from now on. It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it."
The 46-year-old did make a return to semicompetitive golf in December, playing in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie. His solid overall play once again stoked speculation about a potential return to PGA Tour action, but Woods needed a golf cart to get around and maintained he would never use one while playing in a competitive tournament.
Woods told reporters in February that his golf activity was "very limited" and he's still not comfortable walking.
That said, it seems like his competitive fire has been stoked enough that he's preparing for a Masters appearance. Woods played an 18-hole practice round at Augusta National last week, signaling he's at least trying to round into form to compete next week.