Tiger Woods isn't done yet. After two years sidelined by injury and surgery, after winning one more Masters before stepping back, it turns out there's still one more competitive run left in him—at least. The question now is whether it's just a cameo or something more substantial.
He returned to play this week and while nowhere near his best, his ball striking was inconsistent, his distance off the tee noticeably diminished there is no other athlete in the world that has the capability to win a major tournament yet again. Not Rory McIlroy, not Scottie Scheffler, not anyone. Only Tiger has done it before at this level, and that muscle memory, that championship DNA, doesn't just disappear.
Just look at his last Masters win in 2019, which went against all logic and reason but was something special. He was 43 years old, had undergone multiple back surgeries, and hadn't won a major in 11 years. Yet there he was, grinding through pain, reading greens with surgical precision, and delivering when it mattered most. That victory proved something crucial: his mind and competitive instinct could still override the limitations of his body.
Tiger Woods is a three-time Open Champion whose tally of 15 major wins is bettered only by Jack Nicklaus (18) in the men's game.
At 50 years old he will never be the all-conquering force he was in his prime, those days of dominating fields by five or six strokes are behind him. But nobody else has ever captured the sport's attention quite like him. When Tiger is in contention, the entire narrative of a tournament shifts. Networks see viewership spikes. Casual fans tune in.
Reading up on his return, it's not guaranteed that he'll even commit to playing the Masters. But it's the competition that consumes him, the specific challenge of Augusta National with its sloping greens and demanding course architecture. I can only guess he's been building toward this for a long time. Why else would he endure all the pain of the comeback—the grueling rehab sessions, the physical setbacks, the mental toll of uncertainty—unless he was aiming for something bigger than just playing the game? You don't put your body through that for participation trophies.
He only cares about winning and breaking records. That singular focus, that refusal to accept limitation, is what makes him different.
Personally, I hope that he can make it back for the big event as that will add so much more to the contest when he is there.