Tiger Woods has a new nemesis: the weather

Since coming back at the 2022 Masters, Tiger Woods has competed in four previous major championships. In three of those, he has made the cut—and in two, he has withdrawn as his body struggled to adapt to the effects of the weather.
Since coming back at the 2022 Masters, Tiger Woods has competed in four previous major championships. In three of those, he has made the cut—and in two, he has withdrawn as his body struggled to adapt to the effects of the weather.

Summary

The 15-time major winner has recovered from a string of injuries that once threatened his career. But one challenge his surgically repaired body can’t overcome is when inclement weather comes into play.

AUGUSTA, Ga.—Tiger Woods has faced a never-ending series of injuries, surgeries and setbacks that have threatened his golf career. But he has made it back each time, even after long layoffs and doubts—including from Woods himself—that he would play competitively again.

All those injuries have taken a physical toll, making it tough for Woods merely to walk 18 holes. But they have also left Woods with a new rival, one he has to contend with yet again at this year’s Masters.

It’s called the weather.

After rain delayed the start of this season’s first major, Woods was able to complete just 13 holes of his opening round Thursday, which he called one of the trickiest days he has ever experienced at Augusta National because of the strong wind. While Woods navigated it nimbly to close the day at 1-under, that meant he had to be back out early on Friday to finish up his first round—then go back out onto the course to play another 18 on the same day.

“The body is OK," Woods said after play was suspended Thursday. “We’ve got some work to do yet tonight."

From the moment he teed off Friday morning, less than 12 hours after leaving the course the night before, Woods looked physically uncomfortable. He grimaced after coming up short with an iron shot that led to a bogey on his first hole of the day. After another bogey, he wound up at 1-over par, which still left him in decent position to make a Masters record 24th consecutive cut.

To do that will require the 48-year-old to successfully complete 23 holes of golf in one day at a time in his life when even a single round represents a tricky proposition. Making the task even more daunting, Woods has described an arduous process he has to go through to recover from one round and prepare for the next. 

He had limited time for that after finishing his round at about 7:57 p.m. Thursday and resuming at 7:50 a.m. Friday. And after finally wrapping round one at about 9:30 a.m., he faced a whirlwind turnaround with a second-round tee time scheduled for less than an hour later at 10:18 a.m.

What Woods has shown over the last couple of years, ever since he recovered from a 2021 car wreck, is that his game is in remarkably good shape considering the remarkably poor state of his body. But when he faces adverse conditions, it can be too much for him to overcome.

“Some days I just feel really good, and other days, not so much," Woods said ahead of the Masters. “I hurt everyday."

Since coming back at the 2022 Masters, he has competed in four previous major championships. In three of those, he has made the cut—and in two, he has withdrawn after reaching the weekend as his body struggled to adapt to the effects of the weather.

At the first, the 2022 PGA Championship, Woods stumbled out of the gate before rallying to make the weekend. Then the cold temperatures and strong breeze proved too much for him to handle. In the third round he carded a 9-over, including a triple bogey and five straight bogeys, before withdrawing before the final round.

He encountered a similar situation to this year’s Masters at last year’s edition, where rain once again disrupted the action and forced the players to take on more than 18 holes in a day. After making the cut, Woods clearly looked to be in pain as he navigated the undulating, rain-soaked course. 

By the time the third round was suspended on Saturday, he had fallen to 9-over par and was in last place. He withdrew on Sunday morning, saying he had reaggravated a plantar fasciitis injury, and soon had surgery that would keep him out for the rest of the season.

“I prefer it warm and humid and hot," Woods said this week.

Oddly enough, though, these hiccups are also testaments to how Woods still has the ability to navigate some of the toughest tests in golf. After all, he still made the cut both times in fields where many elite golfers failed to do just that. And once again on Thursday, he showed he can excel at Augusta National.

He set the tone on his opening hole when he knocked his approach shot to 8 feet from the hole and sunk the subsequent birdie putt. After going back to even with a bogey on the fourth hole, Woods birdied the eighth and then rattled off pars before play was suspended. All the while, Woods showed no sign of the visible limp he had before last year’s ankle surgery and handled the gusty evening with veteran savvy.

The bigger question was how he would fare for Friday morning’s quick turnaround in cooler weather. He quickly bogeyed his opening hole and looked to be physically stiff. Then he added one more bogey after going into a green-side bunker on the 18th with pars in between.

That leaves 18 more holes to try to set the all-time record for most consecutive cuts made at the Masters—marking another potential milestone for the 15-time major champion.

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