Tiger Woods to Design Short Course at Augusta's 'Patch' Golf Course, Says Masters Exec

Masters chairman Fred Ridley said Monday that Tiger Woods will design a nine-hole short course for the Augusta Municipal Golf Course, which is also known as "The Patch."

According to Bentley Romine of the Golf Channel, "Woods' par-3 design will be called 'The Loop at the Patch,' with work expected to take about a year. Meanwhile, the 18-hole Patch closed last Dec. 29 for extensive renovations under the lead of architects Tom Fazio and Beau Welling and is slated to reopen in 2026. Augusta National Golf Club is releasing those master plans today."

Woods' TGR Foundation and the Augusta National Golf Club will also partner to build a Learning Lab in Augusta.

"What an honor to be here and to have this moment, to be able to be a part of Augusta National, but just in a different way," Woods said Monday. "To have the ability to design something that's going to impact the community, something that I truly believe in—education, STEM and giving back to the underserved—and to be able to do this with Augusta National, man, what an honor. ... It's a momentous day for all of us at the TGR Foundation."

As for Woods the golfer, he'll miss this weekend's Masters with a ruptured Achilles.

Woods, in his prime, was one of the famous event's most dominant players, donning the green jacket five times. But injuries have made him a far less effective player, in general, later in his career, and that has carried over to Augusta National. It's fair to question if we'll see Woods in the hunt, on a Sunday final round, ever again.

But the short course will add to his virtually unmatched impact and legacy in Augusta.