Woods’ dreamy talk of Green Jacket ends in nightmare round three
After Tiger Woods claimed a record 24th consecutive made cut at Augusta National on Friday the fivetime Masters champion engaged in dreamy talk of a sixth Green Jacket.
Reality hit home on Saturday, however, in the form of a nightmare third round as the 48yearold’s injurybattered body appeared to quit on him as he carded a 10over 82, his worst ever score at Augusta National. It marked the first time in 99 rounds that Woods had failed to break 80 at the Masters, his score four strokes higher than his previous worst of 78 set in the third and fourth rounds in 2022.
Coming into the Masters, Woods had played just 24 holes this year and had to play nearly as many on a marathon Friday that began with completing the last five holes of his weatherdelayed opening round followed immediately another 18.
That effort, both physical and mental, simply seemed to be too much for a golfer who has struggled for fitness for years dealing with back, knee and ankle injuries and a near fatal car crash in 2021.
“It did,” said Woods, when asked if Friday’s efby fort wore him down “It’s just that I haven’t competed and played much.
“When I had chances to get it flipped around and when I made that putt at five, I promptly threeputted six and flub a chip at seven and just got it going the wrong way. When I had opportunities to flip it, I didn’t.”
Woods got his 99th round at the Masters off to a quiet start with three straight pars before it all began to unravel, dropping six shots over four holes heading into the turn, including backtoback double bogeys at seven, where he chipped into a bunker and another at eight.
Walking with a slight limp heading onto the back nine and into Amen Corner it looked as if Woods might pull the plug on a round spiralling out of control. The former world number one was able to put the breaks on the nose dive with pars at 10 and 11 but the slide did not stop.
Woods soaked up a loud ovation walking onto the tee of Augusta’s signature hole the parthree 12th before slumping to another bogey. The 15times major winner would collect just his second birdie of the day at 13 but that was followed by four consecutive bogeys before closing out with a tapin in par at 18.