Epic comebacks nothing new to Tiger Woods as he contemplates playing in Masters
Will he or won't he?
While Tiger Woods has been at the epicenter of golf for 25 years, his anxiously awaited decision on whether to play in the 2022 Masters has ignited interest the globe over to a level rarely, if ever, seen before.
Could the five-time Masters champion, 15-time major winner, and former world No. 1 actually make it to the first tee next Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club 13 months after nearly losing his life in a single-car accident?
Woods has fanned the flames of hope with reports of his practicing and playing at The Medalist in Florida and his reconnaissance trip Tuesday to Augusta National where he played all 18 holes alongside his son, Charlie. He's also still on the list on the tournament's website of past champions in the field.
Want to go to the Masters Tournament?: Here is what golf fans need to know
How the Masters began: Bobby Jones, Cliff Roberts build Augusta dream course, start tournament
Does the Masters ice its azaleas?: Here's what to know about the beauty of Augusta National
If he were to play, it would be his first official tournament since February 23, when he suffered multiple, serious injuries to his right foot and right leg in a car crash north of Los Angeles; Woods later revealed that amputation of the leg was on the table.
Woods was bed-ridden for months. But he slowly recovered, his will leading the way, and played alongside Charlie in the 36-hole PNC Championship last December; the two wound up second. Woods hasn't played on the PGA Tour since the 2020 November Masters, where he finished in a tie for 38th.
At the Hero World Challenge last December, a tournament he hosts and one that benefits his foundation, Woods said his goal was to return to the PGA Tour sometime in the future and play on a limited basis. He knew he needed time to ready himself to play against the best players in the world and to be able to walk 72 holes; he rode in a cart in the PNC Championship.
The time for his return could be next week.
Woods has said he will attend the Champions Dinner on Tuesday of Masters week. If history is any indication, Woods will announce his intentions on Friday.
If he decides to play, getting to the first tee alone would rank among his greatest comebacks in a career full of them.
Here are other comebacks he's made that left onlookers in awe.
Masters:Tiger Woods' complete history at Augusta National
Following fusion back surgery
From the start of 2014 through the end of 2017, Woods played in just 24 tournaments, his troublesome back which required three microdiscectomy procedures during the time keeping him away from the golf course.
In early 2017, he withdrew from two events. At the Champions Dinner that year at Augusta National Golf Club, he told a few members of the elite fraternity his playing days might be over.
The next day, however, Woods traveled overseas to meet with Hail Mary. In England, he met with a back specialist, who recommended to Woods a risky procedure. Woods, with his way of life in jeopardy, let alone his golf career, decided to have an anterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery two weeks later. The procedure was performed by Dr. Richard Guyer of the Center for Disc Replacement at the Texas Back Institute.
Woods built up his body and game and finished in a tie for ninth in the Hero World Challenge seven months later. In 2018, he continued his remarkable return to the game by playing 19 times and contending in the final two majors of the year – he tied for sixth in the British Open and finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka in the PGA Championship. Six weeks later, he won The Tour Championship, his first victory since 2013.
His form carried into 2019 and to Augusta National. In the Masters, he had five solid starts under his belt as he drove down Magnolia Lane. After rounds of 70-68-67, Woods stood two shots out of the lead with 18 to play. In a tense battle in the final round, where five of the contenders dunked balls into Rae’s Creek on the 12th hole, Woods and his experience shot 70 to win by one shot over Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele.
He thrust both his arms to the sky to begin his celebration of his first Masters victory since 2005 and his first major – his 15th – since he won the 2008 U.S. Open on a broken leg and torn knee ligaments. At 43, he became the second-oldest player to win the Masters, trailing just Nicklaus.
Following public scandal
Woods was the undisputed No.1 player in the world in 2009 as he won seven times around the world. Then his world turned upside down on Thanksgiving Night in 2009 when he was in a single-car crash that involved a fire hydrant, a tree, and several bushes near his Florida compound.
Within days, multiple outlets reported Woods being involved in serial infidelity, which led to the end of his marriage, his manicured image being shattered, his public persona on Madison Avenue jolted, and the loss of nearly all of his sponsors.
Woods took a leave of absence from professional golf to get his mind straight. In February of 2010 near PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Woods apologized to his family, the PGA Tour, and fans for his behavior. Seven weeks later he returned to the game at the 2010 Masters.
But Woods would go 26 events without winning, a streak he finally snapped in the 2011 Chevron World Challenge he hosted. He won three times in 2012 and regained his standing atop the world golf rankings in 2013 as he won five times.
Following reconstructive surgery to his left leg
Two days after his epic playoff victory over Rocco Mediate in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, a tournament that spanned five days in which Woods hobbled, limped, and somehow got through on a broken left leg and torn ligaments in his left knee, he underwent reconstructive surgery to repair the injuries.