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Tiger Woods Shoots Worst Scores of His Masters Career

(AUGUSTA, Ga.)— The Masters patrons filled in every nook and cranny around the 18th green, awaiting the appearance of the man in red.

A scene that’s been so familiarTiger Woods has been a regular guest at Augusta National on Sundays, but this was a different one.

It wasn’t even 3 o’clock on the warm, sunny afternoon in east Georgia. Cameron Smith, Cameron Scheffler’s closest follower and leader Scottie Scheffler had just finished teeing off on the first hole.

Woods, who was limping and hunched over, climbed the hill that led up to the green. As the crowd gathered, their roar grew as they celebrated a remarkable recovery, if not an epic weekend.

“Way to hang in there, Tiger!” a man standing back in the crowd belted out.

It was not Woods as many remember. The guy who’s won five green jackets, the last of them just three years ago. The guy who’ll go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game, even if he never strikes another shot. (Don’t worry, he’s not done.)

This Woods, the one hobbling on a rebuilt right leg that he could’ve lost in that horrific car crash 14 months ago, closed with back-to-back 78s that were the worst scores of his Masters career.

After he landed his ball on the pine straw in front of the green, he had to swing left at the 13th.

After a thrilling 71 on Thursday Woods’ battered body was simply exhausted. On Thursday Woods returned to competitive golf after more than 500 days.

On Friday, he clocked a 74 and was guaranteed to make the Masters cut the 22nd consecutive time.

The tank was empty for this weekend.

Still, it was a gratifying experience, one that Woods clearly didn’t regret putting himself through even if he didn’t come close to winning a record-tying sixth green jacket.

“This tournament has meant so much to me and my family,” Woods said. “This is where all the great champions have ever played. They have walked these grounds.”

That Woods was able to walk the course again — for four days, no less — was a feat in itself.

Wood was injured in a car accident on February 20, 2021. Doctors advised that his right leg would need to be amputated. He was admitted to hospital for 3 months after they managed to save his leg. He’s still got screws and rods holding the bones in place.

Woods was unable to walk Augusta National without a noticeable limp. He sometimes used a stick as a walking stick and a club for assistance.

Most telling, he couldn’t bend all the way over to read putts on Augusta’s tricky greens, which may explain why his stellar touch with the short stick seemed to abandon him on the weekend.

But excluding all the tournaments he’s won — especially those 15 major championships — this felt like his greatest achievement in golf.

“For not winning an event, yes. Yes, without a doubt,’ Woods said. ”I don’t think people really understand. People who know me well understand. They’ve seen it. Some players are very close to me and they have seen many of the images and what I’ve had to go through. They appreciate it probably more than anyone else because they know what it takes to do this out here at this level.”

Woods is still an important player in the game.

“You just pull so hard for him,” said Harold Varner III, who joined Woods and Cameron Champ to make this the first Masters with three Black players. “Obviously, he’s great for the sport. If he’s around, we’re going to make a lot of money.”

Woods stated to Sky Sports that he will be playing the British Open in St. Andrews this July. He isn’t sure about the next two majors: the PGA Championship, set for May 19-22 at Southern Hills, or the U.S. Open at Brookline in June.

“It’ll be just the big events,” Woods told Sky. “But I am looking forward to St. Andrews. This is something I hold dearly. I’ve won two Opens there, it’s the home of golf. It’s my favorite golf course in the world, so I will be there for that one.”

“See you down the road,” his caddie, Joe LaCava, shouted to media members gathered outside the clubhouse, waiting to speak to his boss.

Woods will continue his rehabilitation regardless of where he is at the moment. He wants to give his body a greater chance of surviving four exhausting days.

“We’re excited about the prospects of the future, about training, about getting into that gym and doing some other stuff to get my leg stronger, which we haven’t been able to do because it needed more time to heal,” he said. ”I think it needs a couple more days to heal after this, but we’ll get back after it.”

Woods began to speak, but a high pitched roar came up.

Woods is a fan of those roars. He hadn’t heard them since his victory in 2019. After the outbreak, no one was able to attend the event in November 2019. Last year, of course, playing a golf tournament was the furthest thing from Woods’ mind.

“It’s exciting. It’s inspiring,” he said. “It’s fun to hear the roars.”

Woods hopes to create a few more of them before he’s done.

On this Sunday, he had to be content with the cheers that erupted one last time after he tapped in a short putt at the 18th hole for a 13-over 301 — his worst Masters performance as a professional by eight strokes.

Woods was 23 shots ahead of Scheffler who won his first major championship. The margin of victory between Woods, the winner, and the winner was identical to the one at the 2014 British Open. He had been beaten by Rory McIlroy.

His biggest win at the Masters was 19 strokes more than Dustin Johnson’s two-year-old victory. Woods was the reigning champion.

Woods removed his cap, and headed towards the clubhouse. Soon the 18-strong crowd began to disappear.

The time came to watch those players who had any chance of winning the green jacket.

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