Tiger Woods' Caddie Envisions a Brighter Future: 'I Can See Him Winning Again'
He is not making any guarantees, certainly not pounding his chest. Joe LaCava knows how it works in golf, and he is keenly aware of the difficulty for any player to win, let alone the one he works for and who will be at a keen disadvantage when it comes to preparation.
But Tiger Woods’ caddie also witnessed something that few saw coming, one even he had doubts about as it pertained to getting ready for competing at the Masters.
After 72 holes, a 47th-place finish and a golf world filled with admiration for the accomplishment, LaCava believes a future victory is possible.
“I don’t think he’s putting in all this work to finish 20th,’’ LaCava said in an interview Tuesday with SI.com/Morning Read. “I think he’s capable. I think it’s going to have to be the right situation, when he’s healthy and has more stamina. He is working to get to that point. And when he gets there, I can see him winning again.’’
LaCava, 59, whose caddying career spans 30 years and dates to 2011 with Woods, was pleasantly surprised had how good the 15-time major champion looked, and how much he endured to get to Augusta National.
In December, he was with Woods for the first time on a golf course since his Feb. 23, 2021, car crash that caused severe injuries to the golfer’s right leg, specifically his ankle and foot.
Woods did that specifically to play with Charlie, his son, at the PNC Championship. The reason for coming back at the Masters was obvious.
“It was always in the back of his mind. 100 percent,’’ LaCava said. “It’s probably his favorite tournament of all time. He was never going to give up on it. In the back of his mind he needed to get through the Genesis (Invitational, as tournament host) and the Hall of Fame (induction). That’s the sense I got when we talked or texted. Genesis is a full eight to 10 days that he’s not strictly focused on rehab. It doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s a lot when he’s trying to get healthy and ready.
“Then he was all out for this. And are you strong enough to do it? I don’t think golf was ever going to be the issue. I think he believed that based on December and the little he did at home, his golf would be good enough.
“Then, can you walk a golf course for four straight rounds? Are you strong enough and healthy enough to play? He hadn’t given up on it, but it was a little unexpected to me that he was able to pull it off. From the Hall of Fame to a month later and he’s playing. I was a little surprised.’’
LaCava said he does not believe Woods attempted to play 18 holes of golf on consecutive days before getting to Augusta National on the Sunday prior to tournament week.
He had gone to the club to play a full practice round on March 29, his first visit since the final round of the 2020 Masters. And then he returned on the weekend, playing 27 holes of practice – nine holes on three different days – as well as hitting balls each day.
Woods shot scores of 71-74-78-78 to finish at 301, 13 over par. His 78s were the highest of his 24-year Masters career, the 301 the highest of any 72-hole finish.
But LaCava saw plenty of good stuff, too.
“I thought he drove it pretty well, and at times he had some length,’’ he said. “A couple of times he was in the ballpark with (Jon) Rahm. When (Joaquin) Niemann hit a couple of decent ones, Tiger was in the neighborhood, 15 or 20 yards. That’s pretty good. Those are kids in their 20s.
“There were four or five shots that stand out to me. The 4-iron on No. 5 (the first day), from 210 yards. The chip-cut 7-iron he worked in there on No. 6. The 5-iron he hit on 10 to a foot. Those were shots he was hitting in his heyday. A lot of solid mid-iron shots.
“In terms of scoring, some of the chips he hit when he has great feel stop 3 or 4 feet from the hole instead of the 7 or 8-foot range. That would be tough anywhere, but at Augusta that is pronounced.
“Putting ... for the most part his speed was off. Hit a lot of good putts, but some of them had too much pace and on the high side ... the stroke looked good, and that’s all that mattered to me. And there’s no way to simulate it at home, certainly not Augusta National. I think he was worried about being able to walk and his focus was on getting stronger, so maybe not as much on chipping and putting.’’
LaCava said he is aware that Woods committed to the British Open at St. Andrews in July, but nothing beyond that. And at this point, LaCava said all he knows is that Woods will make the effort for the PGA Championship next month, although he was not given any indication.
“He had to be exhausted when he was talking (to the media), physically and mentally, so it’s big that he committed,’’ LaCava said. “It couldn’t have been that bad because he normally doesn’t say stuff like that. He’ll have a better sense in a few weeks but he didn’t say anything to me about the PGA. I think in the back of his mind, he’d like to be ready by July. Will he be ready in five weeks? I don’t think he really knows to be honest. But if the recovery goes well, I guess he’d like to give it a try.’’
LaCava noted how much it meant to Woods to be at the Masters. He could sense it in his demeanor, how he was happy to be among the players again and competing with so many people pulling for him.
He also referenced a few times when Woods let out with some words of displeasure.
“I was actually happy to see that,’’ he said. “It means he wasn’t just happy to be there. His competitive nature came out.
“But having said all that, he was extremely happy to be around the guys, set up the practice rounds with JT (Justin Thomas) and Freddie (Couples), go through the routine on the range, go to the Champions Dinner. Everything about Augusta helped the cause.’’