Tiger Woods Believes He Can Win 2022 Masters
Not only did Tiger Woods tell the world Tuesday morning that "as of right now" he will begin the Masters on Thursday at 10:34 a.m., he let it be known that winning a sixth green jacket is not a mere wish or flight of fancy.
He was asked Tuesday at his press conference if he believes could win this week.
"I do," he said.
Woods doesn't play in a major championship without a thought of winning and he has a track record. He won the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, literally on a broken leg. In 2019, Woods came back from spinal fusion surgery in 2017 to win for the fifth time at Augusta National Golf Club.
So, his surgically repaired right leg and ankle from a horrific February 2021 car crash apparently doesn't appear to him to stand between him and another remarkable Masters title.
Walking at Augusta National will be the biggest hurdle for Woods — and recovery in the aftermath. It's still the biggest unknown. He has yet to play an 18-hole practice round this week. He played nine holes on Sunday, nine on Monday and plans nine more on Wednesday morning.
From there, anticipation will be high throughout the golf world, including that of Woods himself.
"I can hit it just fine. I don't have any qualms about what I can do physically from a golf standpoint," he said. "It's now walking is the hard part. This is normally not an easy walk to begin with (at Augusta), now given the conditions that my leg is in, it gets even more difficult.
"You know, 72 holes is a long road, and it's going to be a challenge and a challenge that I'm up for."
Tiger Woods, a five-time Masters champion, said Tuesday that he plans to start the tournament on Thursday.
Danielle Parhizkaran/USA Today
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