Tiger Woods says 'as of right now' he plans to play in Masters

play

Tiger Woods says he will play this week in the Masters.

The five-time champion at Augusta National made the announcement. He will play nine more practice holes on Wednesday before making a final decision, but will be doing so with the intention of playing Thursday.

Woods said that he felt like he was going to play.

There had been a lot of signals recently that Woods was ready to play again. He came to Augusta National for a practice round last week, then came back on Sunday and said he would make a game-time decision. He spent a lot of time in the practice areas on Tuesday because of the bad weather.

Woods said it was great to be back.

In December, Woods and his son finished second to John and his son in a 36-hole scramble on a flat Florida course. Woods was allowed to use a cart in that event, but when the rounds were over he dismissed the notion that his game was ready for tour.

It will take a lot of work to get to where I feel like I can compete at these guys.

About 3 months later, Woods feels different. He will be in the Masters for the 24th time if he plays, and he has finished in the top five in his previous 23 appearances.

The last time Woods competed against the best players in the world was in the final round of the Masters in 2020.

He had his fifth back surgery two months later and was still recovering from that when he crashed his SUV down a hill in Los Angeles.

Doctors considered amputation of the right leg after the crash because of the severity of the injuries, and used screws and pins to repair the ankle and foot.

It has been a tough year, but here we are, Woods said.