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Tiger Woods, a five-time winner of the Masters, has not had a top-five finish since the fourth place at his very own Hero World Challenge back in 2019.
That same year he won the Masters in one of the greatest comeback stories of all time, and then added a 82nd PGA Tour win at the Zozo Championship in Japan.
Since then, a lot has happened. His starts in 2022 were limited to three – he made the cut at Masters, withdrew from the PGA Championship, and missed the cut at the 150th Open at St. Andrews.
Last time when Woods played at the Masters in 2022, he thought it could be his last one.
“Yes. I didn't know last year, if I was going to play again. For some reason everything kind of came together and I pushed it a little bit and I was able to make the cut, which was nice," he said.
“Yeah, I don't know how many (Masters) more I have in me. So just to be able to appreciate the time that I have here and cherish the memories. But still, to just look at the golf course, it looks like it's been here for over a hundred years and hasn't changed, and each and every year we come here, everything has changed since I first played here.”
Woods offered a big smile when asked if he could win. Then he was asked where he placed his making the cut last year when that effort was compared to his multiple wins around the world.
“Well, it's different. I didn't win the tournament, but for me to be able to come back and play was a small victory in itself. Yeah, I still would have liked to have gotten the W, but I didn't, but I think I got my own smaller version of that, to be able to come back and just be able to play.”
“I had a little time off there before; I had not played in a while, and to come out, I know the golf course and I know where to miss and I know where to hit it. I was able to do that and somehow shoot under par and make it to the weekend. It was a little tough on that Saturday.”
Woods will go out with two young players he likes - Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele. He has become familiar with Hovland even more because the Norwegian with an infectious smile, has won Woods' own tournament, the Hero World Challenge last two times – in 2021 and 2022.
While the Masters is always capable of springing a surprise, the top three in the world, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, who are miles ahead of all the others.
McIlroy said, “I look at both of those guys, and it's hard to see them not consistently finishing in the top 10 of every tournament that they play. They both have -- they both do it a different way. They both sort of have different attitudes towards the game.
“But it just seems like every week that we're playing, one of us has got a chance to win that tournament, you know, going back to Kapalua the first week of the year and then me in Dubai and Scottie in Phoenix and then Jon in L.A. and then Scottie in THE PLAYERS and then Scottie and I at the Match Play.
"It just seems like one much us three is popping up every week we play with a chance to win. That's the level that we all want to be at."
Among the 18 newcomers, two who stand out are Tom Kim, the Korean, who at 20 has already won twice on PGA Tour, and Sahith Theegala, an American with parents of Indian origin, has time and again come close but missed out. It is only a matter of time before he sets the record straight.
A debutant winning at the Masters is rare, but both Kim and Theegala have the ability. Tom Kim is now 19th in world rankings and Theegala is 30th.
The field of 89 has 18 debutants, seven of whom are amateurs and also includes 18 players, who have switched allegiance to the rebel Saudi-backed LIV League.