Hungry Tiger ready to prowl

AUGUSTA, Georgia (AFP) — Elder statesman status is all very well, but 14-time major champion Tiger Woods hasn’t battled back from four back surgeries just to make up the numbers at the Masters.

“I still want to compete, and I want to beat these guys,” the 42-year-old superstar said as he looked forward to his first Masters in three years, and his first major start since missing the cut at the 2015 PGA Championship.

Woods’s promising return from spinal fusion surgery last April has galvanized a golf world eager to see if he can resume his chase to break Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major titles.

Woods’s rivals in a talent-laden Masters field aren’t immune.

The build-up to the Masters has featured an array of 20-something players describing the Tigeresque feats that inspired them to pursue competitive golf.

The possibility that they could find themselves head-to-head against an inform Woods come Sunday is “an extra motivation for everybody” says world number three Jon Rahm, a 22-year-old from Spain.

Woods will tee off at 10:42 a.m. (1442 GMT) on Thursday alongside Australian Marc Leishman and England’s Tommy Fleetwood.

Woods’ compelling comeback bid isn’t the only story in a Masters shaping up to be a classic.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who could complete a career Grand Slam with a first Masters victory, tees it up at 1:38 p.m. alongside Rahm and former Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia.