Is Tiger teasing or going to The Masters?

This was a few years ago when he was starting to lose his hair but certainly hadn’t lost his grip on the game. There were rumors Tiger Woods was going bald, so at a pre-tournament press conference, playing a game other than golf, with a grin lifted his cap for a moment.

 It was a Tiger tease.

 Which makes one wonder about his very non-secret flight to Augusta (Georgia, of course, not Maine) Tuesday morning.

Is he really going to defy logic and the predictions and compete in the Masters next week? Or is he just teasing? With Tiger I’ve learned since his days at Stanford, virtually anything can happen.

His career has been a succession of comebacks, disapprovals, and verifications.

He was five holes down to Steve Scott in the 1996 U.S. Amateur at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon and I went on the phone to KNBR in San Francisco while the match still was underway. saying Scott would win.

Not only was I wrong but Willie McCovey (it is the Giants station after all) later berated me for a lack of both insight and faith. Woods rallied to become the only male to win three straight Amateurs.

The 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Woods’ knee was in such pain (he had undergone an operation and would have two more) he could barely walk. Every swing brought a grimace.

 Ninety holes (a full extra round for the playoff) brought him the victory over Rocco Mediate. Followed by more surgery.

 Who could foresee that remarkable Masters triumph of 2 He hadn’t won anything for years, He was 43.

It’s wrong to say Tiger has done the impossible, because if were impossible, he couldn’t have done it. So say extraordinary. If he tees up in the 2022 Masters some 13 plus months after an auto accident which could have been fatal, this will be extraordinary.

Woods teamed with 12-year-old son Charlie in the PNC event in December. But that was only a 36-hole tournament on a flat course in Florida, and he was permitted to use a cart. The Masters course, Augusta National is extremely hilly, and Woods, as everyone in the field, would need to walk every step.

Did he make it through Tuesday’s round? Will he make it through four rounds of the tournament, or two, if he misses the cut? 

You can be certain Woods is ready. So too is the world. Tiger is the most compelling figure in sports, a hero, a trailblazer, even to some a heartbreaker.

Tiger, one supposes, is forcing the issue because it’s his nature. He’s a competitor . He’s the guy who battles back from four down. Who revives his image when it’s tarnished.

Some will note his achievements, the 15 major championships, only three fewer than the record 18 by Jack Nicklaus; the 81 PGA Tour victories than Sam Snead, and ask why is Tiger doing this

  Why not? It’s what he’s done, at lea`st until the car accident, with a special appeal. Actors act, painters paint, golfers play golf.

Woods also designs courses, His work added character and charm to the remodel of the little Peter Hay nine at Pebble Beach. Yet he’s more recognized for winning the 2000 U.S. Open on the main Pebble links.

The essential factor is desire, love of the. You need to be driven, to show yourself. As well as showing others,

 Who dared imagine Tiger Woods had a chance to play the Masters? Tiger Woods, That’s who. And he’s the only one who matters. No teasing.