Tiger Woods resumes his battle to make the Masters cut on a wet and gloomy Saturday at Augusta
Tiger Woods was in trouble after two bogeys on his last two holes of his second round put him in serious danger of missing the cut at the Masters.
The gloomy, wet weather on Saturday morning seemed to have boded ill for the five-time winner and his battle to make it through the weekend on his 25th appearance at the tournament.
Woods was forced to start early Saturday morning after his second round was cut short Friday afternoon after blaring the horn for the second and final time with inclement weather and fallen trees threatening play.
With play suspended for the day, the 47-year-old returned at 8 a.m. Saturday morning to pick up where he left off on the 11th.
The 15-time major winner had continued to flirt with the cut line at two-over and looked like he meant business as he strolled back to the prestigious Georgia course wrapped up warm.
Tiger Woods threatened to miss the cut at The Masters on a wet Saturday morning
The five-time winner resumed his second round in the rain after play was interrupted on Friday
He had continued to flirt with the cut line at two left before the horn sounded on Friday
With cooler and wetter conditions for Saturday, there was concern about how Woods would fare with cooler temperatures reportedly negatively impacting his weaker right leg after his 2021 car accident.
The interrupted play has also forced Woods to play more than 18 holes on Saturday – if he makes the cut – and his caddy Joe LaCava admitted earlier in the week that more than 27 holes would be a challenge as the icon is “quite broken is.
However, Woods quickly dispelled all doubts as he made his way inside the cutting line with a birdie on 15, draining into a putt from center.
Just as the snow came into view on the way home, the glimmer of hope was dimmed by the increasingly heavy rain on 17th and 18th.
A bogey on the 17th left him needing a par on 18, but the golf great was wayward off the tee, double-crossing his drive into the trees.
He couldn’t get himself out of trouble by dropping another shot and endangering him.
Woods had to play the painful waiting game in the clubhouse with close friend Justin Thomas and Sung-jae Im still on the court, both with the ability to influence the cutting line.
If either gave up and dropped a shot to match three-over, the cut line would go in Woods’ favor, extending his possibly final Masters appearance.
Woods admitted on Tuesday that this year’s tournament could be his last at the Masters.
The interrupted play forced Woods to play more than 18 holes – if he makes the cut
He clawed his way inside the cut line with a birdie on 15, draining into a putt from center
The golf icon bogeyed on the 17th, requiring a par on his way up
An errant double-cross drive on the 18th saw him drop another shot and fall back to three-over
The 15-time major winner, who has previously admitted his play will be limited to the four majors and possibly a few other tournaments, hinted that this year could be his last walk down Magnolia Lane.
“I don’t know how many I have left in me,” the five-time Masters winner said during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday. āJust to appreciate the time and cherish the memories.
āI’m very lucky to have the leg. Mobility and endurance – it will never be the same in the future. I can’t prepare and play as many tournaments as I would like, but that’s okay and I’m okay with it.’
Woods last competed on the PGA Tour in February at the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club, where he posted a four under 67 in the final round, his lowest score in the competition since returning from his horrific car accident .
Woods made his miraculous return at last year’s Masters just 14 months after the single-vehicle accident that left him with significant injuries to his right leg.
Despite Augusta’s inclines, the five-time Masters winner fought through leg pain and stiffness to remarkably make the cut.
He finished 47th after consecutive 6-over 78s on the weekend, which were his worst scores at the Masters.
Despite his sensational return, Woods’ competitive appearances were limited until 2022.
Woods completed just nine rounds in 2022 due to complications surrounding the limb-threatening injuries he suffered in his car accident last year.
Before the Genesis Invitational, Woods had not won a tournament by a cut since The Open last July.
He finished his round together with playing partners Viktor Hovland (left) and Xander Schauffele
He was forced to play the painful waiting game with several players still on court
He missed the cut at the 150th Open Championship at the historic Old Course in St Andrews, but had made it through the weekend at the PGA Championship before being forced to retire after 54 holes.
He was additionally forced to withdraw from the Hero World Challenge in December, citing plantar fasciitis, but he played alongside son Charlie at the PNC Championship later that month, where he was allowed to use a golf cart.
After the Riviera event, Woods reiterated his intention to compete in all four majors this year, body permitting, but will limit other appearances.
“I’m not going to play more than probably the majors and a few moreā¦ that’s it, that’s all my body will allow me to do,” Woods said in Riviera. ‘My back as it is, all the operations on my back, my leg as it is. I just can not. That’s just going to be my future.
āSo my goal last year was to play in all four majors, I made it through three of the four. Hopefully I can get all four this year and maybe sprinkle a few here and there. But that’s it for the rest of my career. I know that and I understand that. That’s just my reality.’