Tiger Woods made it through the Masters to a big ovation. No word yet on when he’ll be back on the course

The Masters is considered the biggest and most famous tournament in golf history. In other words, a golf holiday. No exaggeration and no question. It is equally a showcase for the legends of the sport, which undeniably includes Tiger Woods for all time. Spectators at the traditional Augusta National Golf Club course were also able to watch the combination of Woods and the Masters last week.

Two days before the start of the official part of the tournament it was still unknown whether the forty-six year old golfer would play in this year’s Masters. Fourteen months ago, he almost lost his leg after a serious car accident.

A number of surgeries and an endless recovery followed. Hours of painful training. Although Tiger Woods was mostly glad to have survived the accident thanks to a sturdy SUV, it didn’t take long for golf to creep back into his mind. Just as it had throughout his life.

On Sunday afternoon, as Tiger walked to the final green at Augusta, huge crowds of cheering and clapping fans stood around him. This, despite the fact that Woods had finished as high as 47th at the Masters with a score of +13. Normally, he would have been met with cheers from his supporters and diplomatic applause.

But now, despite the failed sporting result, Tiger won first and foremost in the hearts of his proud fans. They applauded unceasingly, took off their caps and escorted him to the clubhouse amid much noise.

“It was a tough journey. I am very grateful that I had this opportunity and that I was able to overcome it. A lot of different things could have happened. But 14 months after the accident, I was able to play here at the Masters,” Tiger Woods assessed his performance immediately after his last putt on the course in an official Masters interview.

Before the tournament even started, he was still confident of winning. Logic. It’s Tiger Woods. He wouldn’t go on the course thinking he was just going to give it a shot. Moreover, a good first round result gave him and his fans hope for a spectacular triumph.

However, a combination of inclement weather, a challenging course and a sore foot ultimately robbed Tiger of a Hollywood scenario. But he still took the good feeling from Augusta in the end.

His rehabilitation hasn’t been talked about much in the media, even so, Tiger is aware that not everyone has an idea of what he’s had to go through these past few months: “I don’t think people really understand, maybe only those close to him who were there. They’ve seen some of the pictures and things I’ve had to endure,” he commented on his challenging journey back on the field.

By the end of the tournament, it was obvious that his injured right leg was limiting him significantly. After all, there were six open fractures, and the golfer’s fibula and tibia had literally been in pieces more than a year ago. Whatever the outcome on the course, Woods’ participation was one big victory in itself.

Now Tiger will understandably need many more long weeks, perhaps months, to continue his recovery. When might he make another appearance at a major tournament? Surprisingly, he was able to answer that.

If all goes at least as well as it has so far, we could see the 15-time major winner as early as July at The Open Championship 2022. Until then, we can keep our fingers crossed for him, because one thing is clear.

If Tiger Woods is part of world golf in the future, the global interest in the sport will grow at the same time. After all, everyone kind of realizes that one day this man will eventually retire from the top scene. With his arrival, the public perception of the sport has fundamentally changed and his indelible mark will accompany golf itself, for ever and ever.

Source: PGA Tour, The Masters