Tiger Woods is quite confident of himself as he heads into the Masters, which begins this weekend, and has made it known that he believes he can win the title this year. The former world number one has won the title five times and is aiming to bring it home once again, a tremendous feat if he achieves it.
The former world number one was absent for almost a year since pulling out of the Masters last year, and only played at the Genesis Invitational this February, although wrapping up early due to an illness. He has not won a title in years, but that has not stopped the 15-time major winner from betting on himself to earn a sixth Masters title this year.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the tournament, Woods explained the reason for his belief, saying he is still sure he can squeeze out one more Masters win and he will keep the hope alive until a day comes when he can’t.
Woods also answered questions on his proposed plan to take part in one event per month this season, even though he has only played in one, which he did not see through to the end.
He said: “I wasn’t ready to play. My body wasn’t ready. My game wasn’t ready. I thought that when I was at Hero [World Challenge], once a month would be a really nice rhythm. It hasn’t worked out that way. Now we have major championships every month from here through July. So now the once a month hopefully kicks in.”
The 48-year-old also provided an update on his ankle, which he had to get surgery for after pulling out of last year’s Masters: “The ankle doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s fused. It’s other parts of my body that now have to take the brunt of it. The back, the knee, other parts of the body have to take the load of it, so it’s just the endurance capability of walking and being on my feet for a long time.”
Since getting involved in a ghastly accident in 2021, Tiger Woods’ career has not been the same, as he has had to go through several stages of recovery, with his body still showing signs every now and then. But he has not lost his zeal or love for the game and has always expressed optimism when discussing taking part in events. Hopefully, he will fare better at this year’s Masters and see it through to the end, which is more than he has done in recent times.
Leon Osamor
