Who Is Tiger Woods Trying To Fool? Of Course He's Playing in This Masters

Morning Read's Alex Miceli believes the five-time Masters champion has already made his decision to play — but for some reason we're still waiting on him.

On Sunday, Tiger Woods declared via Twitter that starting his 24th career Masters will be a "game-time decision." Seriously?

How many of us believe that Woods doesn’t know if he’s going to play or not? Of course he’s playing, so why the intrigue?

Does having five green jackets in your locker give you the right to force everyone to the edge of their seat to wait for what seems more like a royal pronouncement than a decision?

Woods knows if he is going to play, so why does the world's 973rd-ranked player take this passive-aggressive approach instead of offering deference to the tournament, his playing competitors and the public at large?

Clearly the officials at Augusta National Golf Club must believe Woods will tee it up on Thursday, otherwise why release a 1-minute video dedicated solely to Woods' back-nine Sunday practice via social media?

Augusta National also added Woods to its Tuesday interview schedule (11 a.m. ET for those interested), which was considered news in most corners of the golf world.

Maybe these questions are unfair. What does Woods owe to the fans, competitors or the tournament? 

If you ask players, Woods' presence in golf has made purses bigger, created tremendous growth in fan interest and more potential for a sport that was considered an old white man’s domain before Woods launched his career in the mid-1990s. 

While you can find positives in Woods' presence, does it mean he should be treated any differently than all other players?

Is he disrespecting the Masters, fans and competitors by not making a simple comment — yes or no? Could he not have said he was giving it a go last week or even following Sunday's practice round?

At the Genesis Invitational, Woods admitted he could walk Augusta National's par-3 course, but what about more than a ceremonial tradition or a practice round? What about playing in a tournament?

“It's the competitive nature, how much that takes out of you mentally, physically, emotionally," Woods said about his decision-making process. “I haven't prepared for any of that. Going for a walk, I can do that. Am I going to be sore? Hell, yeah, but I can do that.”

That was Woods on February 16th, less than two months ago. Clearly things have changed. Last week he made a trip to Augusta in a private plane that was tracked on social media by the hungry media clamoring for a Woods tidbit.

Afterward, Woods said nothing about his Friday trip or its results and did not even mention anything about playing in the Masters until his tweet on Sunday.

Woods' decision not to say what his intentions are could go right up until his time on Thursday. It's disrespectful on so many levels, but typical of Woods.

He has always taken his time committing to tournaments. In fact, Woods' lack of decorum for disclosing his decisions to play have been a talking point among the media for years..

So, this time around should not seem any different, but for some reason it does.

In a 24/7 news world, Woods may think it’s important to dominate. After all, that is what helped him win last year's PGA Tour's Player Impact Program (PIP) and the $8 million that went along with it. With first place being bumped to $10 million in 2022, Woods' indecision only adds to his social media prowess, which is one of the measurements used for the PIP.

Could this be about money? Hard to say, as most players say the money is not important.

In the end, Woods knows he is playing. Augusta National knows he’s playing. In fact, we all know he’s playing, but we sit here waiting like Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

Some things never change and despite all that Woods has experienced off the golf course, he still has not changed his spots.

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- 30 Years Later, Fred Couples' Green Jacket Still Resonates
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- Complete 2022 Masters Coverage