Golf

Tiger Woods Masters Golf 2023 Preview – How will the big cat fare at Augusta?

Tiger Woods Masters Golf 2023 Preview – How will the big cat fare at Augusta?

After much anticipation and angst from the golf world on whether or not he’d play, Tiger Woods arrived Sunday at Augusta National. Woods made the magical drive down Magnolia Lane to prepare for his 25th Masters appearance.

Odds on Woods to Win

Depending on what sportsbook a bettor uses, the “big cat” can be found between 66/1 and 75/1 odds to win the Masters

Other players in this range include Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Patrick Reed and Shane Lowry.

The three current betting favorites in the field to win the event are the top-3 ranked players in the world: Rory McIlroy (+700), defending champion Scottie Scheffler (+700) and Jon Rahm (+800).

When is Woods’ tee time?

Woods will tee off at 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday and 1:24 p.m. ET on Friday in group 12 alongside world No. 7 Xander Schauffele and No. 9 Viktor Hovland.

Has Woods Won the Masters?

Tiger Woods Masters record is exemplary. The 47-year-old won the prestigious event five times throughout his career in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019.

Woods’ five wins at Augusta are the second-most behind Jack Nicklaus (six).

The 15-time major championship winner has finished in the top 10 on 14 occasions at the competition and has made 23-of-24 cuts.

At the 1995 Masters, as a 19-year-old, he made his first start as an amateur, finishing in a tie for 41st. He’s gone on to play 94 rounds and owns a scoring average of 71.05.

Woods’ form entering the tournament

This season, Woods has only made one competitive appearance on tour at the Genesis Invitational. He finished the tournament at 1-under par (69-74-67-73).

During the 2021-2022 campaign, The Jupiter, Florida resident made three appearances at the Masters (T47), PGA Championship (withdrew after the third round) and shot 9-over through two days at the Open Championship (missed cut).

Due to his health, Woods hasn’t played in more than three tournaments in each of the last three seasons. 

His last victory came at the Zozo Championship in 2019, where he defeated Hideki Matsuyama by three strokes in Japan. Woods finished the tournament at 19-under shooting rounds of 64, 64, 66 and 67.

At this point in his career, Woods is fortunate to be able to play golf and make appearances in major championships. He’s stated he believes he can win any event he plays.

The Official World Golf Rankings have Woods currently at 1,001. Woods has occupied the top spot for the most overall weeks (683) and consecutive weeks (281) in history.

Woods leads the PGA Tour in the all-time money list at $120,954,766. He turned professional in 1996.

Tiger Woods Masters 2022

Woods made a PGA Tour appearance at the 2022 Masters for the first time since the 2020 edition. He missed time due to a life-threatening car accident in February 2021, where he suffered serious leg injuries.

Woods started the opening round with a 1-under 71 and went on to make his 22nd cut in a row at Augusta National (third-longest in history) after shooting 74 in the second round.

As he headed into Saturday, the Cypress, California native sat in 19th place before he struggled, shooting a 78, his poorest-ever round at the course.

On Sunday, Woods limped through all 18 holes and shot 6-over again to finish at 13-over par in 47th place.

Tiger Woods Masters preview

A look back at Woods’ five wins at Augusta

1997

The 1997 Masters was memorable not just because it was Woods’ first green jacket but also because it was his first major victory and the dominant manner in which he won.

At 21 years of age, the Stanford product won in his first professional start at Augusta and became the youngest player ever to capture the Masters’ title.  

After shooting rounds of 66, 65, 69, and 70, Woods reached 18-under par and went on to win the competition by a commanding 12 shots (the largest margin in history).

2001

Woods started the 2001 edition of the tournament with an opening round of 70, followed by a 66 to put him near the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend. A 68 on Saturday gave him the solo lead by one stroke entering the final round.

Woods was paired with Phil Mickelson on Sunday and began his round with a bogey but bounced back with birdies on holes two, seven and eight. 

The “goat” maintained the lead on the back nine birdieing the 11th, 13th, 15th and 18th. The 25-year-old finished at 16-under par and outbattled David Duval (-14) and Phil Mickelson for his sixth major title.

Woods became the only player to win four straight major professional golf titles when he won the 2001 Masters, but not in the same calendar year. This feat became known as the “Tiger Slam.”

2002

One year later, Woods won the Masters for the second-straight year, making him only the third player in history to win back-to-back at Augusta National. Jack Nicklaus (1965-1966) and Nick Faldo (1989-1990) are the other two.

Woods put together rounds of 70, 69, 66 and 71 (-12) to defeat Retief Goosen (-9) and Phil Mickelson (-8).

2005

Three years later, the World Golf Hall of Famer had endured a three-year major championship drought as he teed off at the Masters.

It appeared Woods’ run without a win would continue as he posted a 74 on day one, putting him seven strokes behind the leader Chris DiMarco. He followed it on day two with a 66, moving him up to third place, six strokes behind DiMarco (-10). 

Saturday’s round flipped the script entirely, with Woods shooting a 65 (his lowest round at Augusta) and DiMarco struggling with a 74.

On Sunday, DiMarco bounced back with a 68. With just two holes remaining, Woods was three strokes behind the former Florida Gator but birdied the 16th and 18th holes to force a playoff.

Woods’ birdie on the par-3 16th produced a roar from the crowd heard “around the world. 

The 29-year-old made quick work of the playoff, sinking a 15-foot birdie on the 18th while DiMarco parred it. The triumph was Woods’ ninth major championship trophy.

2019

Woods’ 2019 win at the Masters is considered arguably the greatest comeback win in golf history, and many pundits rank it as No. 1 in sports history. 

During the prior 11 years, Woods had endured many back operations as well as other off-the-course issues.

As Woods competed in the 2019 tournament, it had been 14 years since his last Masters’ victory and 11 after his previous major triumph (the 2008 U.S. Open).

The 43-year-old posted rounds of 70, 68, 67 and 70. Woods found himself two strokes behind leader Francesco Molinari before the final round and Molinari’s lead became three by the sixth hole.

Woods birdied the par-5 15th hole to grab a one-stroke lead, then nearly aced the 16th (made a short birdie) to establish a two-stroke lead with two holes remaining.

The two-shot lead was sufficient, as he parred 17 and bogeyed 18 to finish with a two-under round of 70 and a 13-under par total.

Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka fell a stroke short as Woods claimed his fifth Green Jacket and 15th major.


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