Pain-free return is Woosnam aim

Ian Woosnam will settle for a pain-free 36 holes as he marks the 30th anniversary of his Masters triumph with a 32nd appearance at Augusta National.

Woosnam said in 2016 he would not compete in the Masters again after carding rounds of 81 and 82 on the 25th anniversary of his 1991 victory.

The former Ryder Cup captain was persuaded by his wife to change his mind and extended his streak of consecutive missed cuts to 11 from 2017-2019, but after missing out in 2020 the 63-year-old is back at Augusta following a successful back operation.

“I’ve always said if I could do something I’d have another go,” Woosnam said yesterday.

“I decided to have a back operation 15 months ago and I’ve managed to recover pretty good so I’m just looking forward to getting out there and

enjoying two more rounds. Hopefully if it goes well I can maybe come back for a few more years.

“I want to walk around and enjoy the course without being in pain because I’ve been in pain for the last 20 years playing around here really.

“I haven’t played in a tournament for 18 months so it’s not a bad place to start is it?

“I’m going to be a little nervous.

“If I start playing well and get a little bit of confidence of course I’ll be trying to make the cut, but truly it’s about playing a round and enjoying it.”

Another veteran is proving an inspiration for Patrick Cantlay as he bids to challenge for a first major title in the 85th Masters.

Cantlay briefly held the lead after 15 holes of the final round at Augusta National in 2019 and was just one shot off the halfway lead in November following a second round of 66.

And the world No 10 gives a lot of the credit for such impressive performances to 1992 champion Fred Couples, who has recorded 11 top 10s in the Masters, made the cut 30 times in 35 appearances and was sixth in 2010 at the age of 50.

“He’s always been one of the coolest golfers, maybe of all time,” Cantlay said of Couples after playing a practice round with him.

“Growing up watching Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, I think he won almost every one he played, except maybe one against Phil (Mickelson), and I think he played more than anybody else. I watched those growing up.

“He’s been in Newport Beach now for a while and I lived there before I moved to Florida. We played a lot and he’s just always been really kind, and he’s awesome to hang with.

“The more I play this place, the more I get comfortable with the shots, and I think I’ve tried to draw a lot on Fred’s knowledge and some of the other guys’ knowledge, picking the shot they might play on a certain hole or how they see it.

“Fred and I played today and we beat up on Xander (Schauffele) and Max Homa. Not surprisingly Fred birdied 16 and 18. We had a great time.”

Ian Woosnam.