Tiger Woods wants Jack Nicklaus' record at Augusta

If Tiger Woods were on the court, it would be impossible not to put him on the list. The place or the tournament does not matter. Although of course your application increases if it is a specialty. And that's what the former world number one's guns are pointing to with his participation in the Augusta Masters, which begins this Thursday and will be watched on ESPN and Star+.

Your best times are already saved in the archive. He is forty-eight years old, and his unclean body affects him every time he goes out into the field. Their numbers prove it: Since his successful 2019 at Augusta (his 5th and 15th), Tiger has played in just 27 tournaments. And if you count the last three seasons, he has played only nine. Since that last green jacket, a lot of water has passed under the bridge, including a massive traffic accident in February 2021, in which he narrowly avoided having his leg amputated. But the consequences on his ankle affect him constantly.

This year he only participated in The Genesis, a tournament from which he withdrew midway through the second round due to the flu. His gift makes him far from being a candidate in the 88th edition, but a tiger is a tiger and should always be on the roster.

“I think if things go well, I can still win the green jacket,” Woods said at the press conference. And before the usual heroes' dinner. The American is chasing the mark held by Jack Nicklaus, another golf legend, with six conquests at Augusta. “If I have a little luck, why not?” thought the tiger.

Regarding his fitness, Woods has made special preparations to be at his best, with the support of his medical team. “Some days I feel very good and other days I feel uncomfortable, but I love the game of golf. This combination of the love I have for the game and the love of competition is one of the reasons I have had a successful career, without a doubt. This is also why I keep playing. “Even though it's outside of the shots, it's a constant challenge for my physicality.”

This Thursday, Woods will play in the afternoon, and on Friday, in the second round, he will have to go out in the morning. There may be a problem for the American, because he will have little time to recover his body, which will feel difficult to walk for approximately four hours in the Augusta countryside with its hills. but, Fred Cupples, the 1992 champion who will be 64 at Augusta, spoke well of Woods' condition: “I've played nine holes with him, and as few as they are, he's ready to win.”

As a precaution, Tiger did not hide the name of his strong candidate, and he is not world number one Scotty Scheffler, nor defending champion Jon Rahm. It was the opposite: Rory McIlroy. The Irishman has won four major titles in his career, but still does not have a green jacket at home. He added: “I have no doubt that he will win the championship, and I don't know if it will happen this year, although he will achieve it at some point in his career.” He has been playing this tournament for a long time, and he is sure to win in the end. “It's just a matter of knowing when,” Woods said.