Tiger Woods will be at Augusta National in seven weeks. That much we know.
The only question left is: Will the 15-time major champion be teeing it up at the Masters or merely watching as Rory McIlroy makes his title defense?
In his pre-tournament press conference as the host of the Genesis Invitational, Woods teased that the Masters was not off the table for him but would not elaborate further on what that meant or how he would structure his preparation should he feel his body and game are ready to return.
On Saturday, Woods joined the CBS broadcast booth during the third round and artfully sidestepped a question from Jim Nantz. As CBS rolled a promo for the Masters, Nantz mentioned McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler before asking Woods if he knew anyone else who would be playing at Augusta National in 50 days.
“I know I’ll be there,” Woods said. “We’re going to open up The Patch. [Trevor Immelman] and I are going to be part of a great dinner. I know a lot of people who are playing.”
But is it a real possibility that Woods will tee it up at this year’s Masters?
“There is,” Woods said with a smile.
What the pre-tournament preparation would look like is still up in the air, with Woods presenting a myriad of pre-Masters options, including his PGA Tour Champions debut.
“I don’t know,” Woods said when asked if he would play a tournament before the Masters if he decided to return. “Whether it’s regular [PGA] Tour, senior Tour or member-guest, I don’t know.”
Woods, who has not played competitively since the 2024 Open Champions, is still rehabbing from the lumbar disc replacement surgery he had in October. He said he has progressed to hitting full shots but isn’t at the level where he can return to competitive play. That’s a work in progress.
“It’s just one of those things where each and every day, I keep trying, I keep progressing, I keep working on it, trying to get stronger, trying to get more endurance in this body and trying to get it at a level at which I can play at the highest level again,” Woods said during his pre-tournament press conference.
When leader Jacob Bridgeman hit a 7-wood to two feet for a tap-in eagle on Riviera’s par-5 11th, Woods joked that he isn’t “hitting it like that” yet.
“I wish I could be out this week playing with these guys. Watching these kids play this golf course is quite fun,” Woods said.
Here’s what else we learned from Woods’ time in the CBS booth.
1. Tiger’s motivation for leading FCC
New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has praised Woods for his willingness to serve as chair of the Future Competitions Committee to help shape the PGA Tour’s future.
The 15-time major champion and 82-time PGA Tour winner has a chance to write the final chapter of his enduring legacy by helping rewrite what the PGA Tour looks like. That has included, according to Woods, countless meetings and long nights of “free-flowing ideas” as he and the rest of the board try to map out the future.
McIlroy will return to Augusta as the defending champion, looking to join Woods, Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only players to successfully repeat at the Masters. Woods understands it’s a tall task, but he also knows that winning at Augusta gives you the confidence that you can do it again. McIlroy now has that.
“It’s not easy,” Woods said. “But once you’ve done it, you understand that you can win and you know what it takes to get it done.”
3. Tiger’s ‘most nerve-wracking tee shot’
The Genesis Invitational, which Woods now hosts, holds a special place in the 15-time major winner’s heart. With Woods in the booth for almost an hour, CBS took the opportunity to play a clip from Woods’ debut at the 1992 LA Open, where a 16-year-old Woods teed off in front of Sam Snead.
“I was playing the pro-am there and that was one of the most nerve-wracking tee shots that I’ve ever hit,” Woods said. “To see the great Sam Snead right behind me, just staring right into me.”
Woods would go on to tie Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour wins, adding to the importance the Southern California event holds for Woods.
“The synergy of this place and the things that have happened in my life, you couldn’t imagine,” Woods said.
4. Woods’ advice to tame Riviera’s greens
The greens at Riviera Country Club have given the game’s best fits this week. The Los Angeles area got a decent amount of rain early in the week, which has softened them up without them losing much speed.
Collin Morikawa said they were “hit and hope” greens after Thursday’s first round. On Saturday, Woods explained how the mixture of soft but fast Poa annua greens can play mind tricks.
“You get some interesting putts out here with how fast they are,” Woods said. “But you don’t equate soft greens to fast greens. So that mentality is, ‘Oh, my 5-wood is backing up on the green or my 4-iron is backing up,’ but to then have to drip a putt in is so difficult mentally.”
To Woods, the key is to commit to your speed and eliminate the “pinko board” effect that can occur on bumpy Poa greens.
“The downhill putts, obviously, you’re going to be dripping. But if I’m putting uphill, I’m smoking it,” Woods said. “It’s committing to the fact that if you have an uphill putt or a flat putt, I don’t mind having two or three feet coming back. But I don’t want — the greens have that plinko effect and that can happen if you happen not to be committed to your speed, so anytime I have a chance to rip one into the back of the hole, I would.”
