NOW I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES..
THE new Tiger Woods laughs, smiles and even politely fends away questions about his post-scandal Masters return in 2010.
“Certainly I learned a lot, and it’s certainly helped me in my life and my career,” he said without deploying his old press conference death stare.
But yesterday at the Masters there was even starker evidence that the 14time Major champion is a changed man. He played his first ever practice round at Augusta with fellow champion and former foe Phil Mickelson – and both loved every minute.
The iconic image of the USA’S car-crash 2004 Ryder Cup in Detroit was Woods’ face on the 18th tee when Mickelson carved his 3-wood against a fence.
The chill between the fierce rivals was enough to freeze the nearest water hazard.
Yesterday in the Georgia sun, Woods eagled 13 after Mickelson helped him to read his putt as the reborn dream team “shillelaghed” Fred Couples and Thomas Pieters in a money match.
They even fist-pumped when the left-hander holed a chip on the 15th green. It was all great, relaxed fun. Seven Green Jackets between them and no hard feelings.
Woods was even able to take the mick out of the 47-year-old’s choice of checked shirt with a collar.
“The only thing that was missing was a tie,” he laughed.
The 14-time Major winner added: “Our friendship has gotten stronger over the years. We have competed a lot of times coming down the stretch in events. We were joking today about some of the thoughts that transpired here.
“And I think it’s just age as well. We’re at the tail end of our careers, we both know that. He’s 47 and I’m 42, and we have had a great 20-year battle, hopefully we’ll have a few more. But we understand where we are in the game now versus where we were in our early
20s, battling for who is going to be No.1, and that was then and certainly this is now.”
Mickelson, who can beat Jack Nicklaus’ record of being the oldest ever Masters winner, said working together at the Ryder Cup had brought the two rivals closer together.
He said: “Nobody’s benefited from what he’s done for the game of golf more than I have.
“I’ve always had that appreciation and respect for him. To see him back out playing is incredible. We all feel that.
“I want him to play well, and I’m excited to see him play so well. And he is playing well.”
Woods is paired with England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Aussie Marc Leishman.
Fleetwood (above) said: “He was in his pomp when I was growing up.
“A few years on and I get to play with him and I don’t think you can get a better draw than Tiger at the Masters.
“Just to see his return to form and the hype around golf is brilliant for the sport.
“And it is brilliant for the people who have grown up watching him play.” 2.25pm & 5.10pm Mark O’meara (US), Brian Harman, (a) Harry Ellis (Eng)
Satoshi Kodaira (Jpn), Vijay Singh (Fij), Daniel Berger (US)
Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha), Pat Perez (US), Francesco Molinari (Ita)
Daniel Willett (Eng), Kyle Stanley (US), Jason Dufner (US) 3.09pm & 6.05pm Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Patton Kizzire (US), Paul Casey (Eng)
Zach Johnson (US), Martin Kaymer (Ger), Branden Grace (Rsa)
Tiger Woods (US), Marc Leishman (Aus), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng)
Sergio Garcia (Spa), Justin Thomas (US), (a) Doc Redman (US)
Bubba Watson (US), Henrik Stenson (Swe), Jason Day (Aus) 4.15pm & 7.00pm Patrick Reed (US), Charley Hoffman (US), Adam Hadwin (Can)
Chez Reavie (US), Billy Horschel (US), Cameron Smith (Aus) 4.37pm & 1.41pm Sandy Lyle (Sco), Si Woo Kim (Kor), (a) Doug Ghim (US)
Ian Poulter (Eng), Trevor Immelman (Rsa), Patrick Cantlay (US) anyone who has had a lower back fusion that can swing the club as fast as I can swing it. That’s incredible.
“I went from a person who really had a hard time getting up, walking around, sitting down, anything, to now swinging the club at 129 mph. That is a miracle, isn’t it?”
The world No.103 claimed yesterday he has not felt so good for “probably seven, eight years” as he prepares to tee up in Augusta tomorrow.
“It’s been a tough road – the pain of just sitting there and the amount of times that I have fallen because my leg didn’t work or I just had to lay on the ground for extended periods of time.
“Those are some really dark, dark times,” admitted Woods.
He won his fourth Green Jacket in 2005 and said: “I really hope I’m playing my best golf again. This is a tournament where experience does help a lot, understanding how to play this particular course.” Angel Cabrera (Arg), Ross Fisher (Eng), Jimmy Walker (US) Fred Couples (US), Haotong Li (Chn), (a) Joaquin Niemann (Chi) 5.54pm & 2.47pm Charl Schwartzel (Rsa), Webb Simpson (US), (a) Yuxin Lin (Chn) Kevin Kisner (US), Thomas Pieters (Bel), Xander Schauffele (US) Gary Woodland (US), Yusaku Miyazato (Jpn), Tyrrell Hatton (Eng) 6.49pm & 3.53pm Jordan Spieth (US), Alex Noren (Swe), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa)
Justin Rose (Eng), Dustin Johnson (US), Rafael Cabrera-bello (Spa)