FILE PHOTO: Golf - The Masters - Augusta National Golf Club - Augusta, Georgia, U.S. - April 8, 2023 Tiger Woods of the U.S. reacts after holing his bogey putt on the 17th green during the second round REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - Tiger Woods is part of the conversation every time the Masters rolls around and this year will be no different even though the five-time champion is a longshot who has been severely limited when it comes to competition due to health reasons.
Woods, who endured an abbreviated 2023 season that featured two PGA Tour starts before having ankle surgery last April, will tee off Thursday in the first round of the Masters having played 24 holes of official golf this year and none since February.
Arriving at Augusta National without many competitive reps is nothing new for Woods, who famously made a comeback at the 2022 Masters where he finished 47th just 14 months after a car crash that nearly resulted in doctors amputating his right leg.
But Woods requires hours of preparation to get his battered 48-year-old body ready for a round of golf, and the toll that a taxing Augusta National layout and tournament play has on him -- specifically his back and rebuilt leg -- should temper expectations.
"There's no doubt he's going to hit a lot of good shots, and there's no doubt he's going to make some putts, but can he sustain that over two, three, four days?" ESPN analyst and twice U.S. Open winner Curtis Strange said on a conference call.
"That's the question ... and it's a big question mark."
At last April's Masters, which was hit by heavy rains, strong winds and cold temperatures, Woods was visibly limping and withdrew before completing the third round due to plantar fasciitis and had ankle surgery later that month.
Woods' only PGA Tour start since then came in mid-February at the Genesis Invitational where he abruptly withdrew early in the second round due to the flu a day after battling back spasms over the closing holes of the first round.
While competitive rust inevitably exists in Woods' game, he may take some comfort in playing the Masters as it is the only men's major played at the same course every year and he knows the layout better than anyone in the field.
Woods, who has never missed the cut at the Masters as a professional, will also be seeking a tournament record 24th consecutive made cut after tying Gary Player and Fred Couples last year.
Given Woods is roughly a 160-1 longshot to win a sixth Masters title this year, just making the cut and getting to play the weekend might be considered a victory for the most decorated golfer of his generation.
"If you asked him in the (pre-tournament) press conference, and it will be asked, he'll tell you he's there to compete and to win. He means that. That's not performative," ESPN's Scott Van Pelt said on the media call.
"But I think quietly, alone with his thoughts on Friday, if you said you've played well enough to play two more rounds, I would have to think that that is a victory."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
