Golf legend Tiger Woods said Tuesday that as of now, he plans to play in the Masters this weekend at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, and he believes he can win just over 13 months after a serious car accident kept him in bed for weeks at a time.
"As of right now, I feel like I am going to play. As of right now. I'm going to play nine more holes tomorrow," Woods said, according to CBS Sports, clarifying that he plans to make a final decision after his practice round on Wednesday.
Woods has said in the months since the accident that, at 46 years old and after recovering from the serious incident, he doesn't believe he'll be healthy enough to play golf again full time, but he wants to compete when he can.
Last week, Woods' name on an official list of eligible competitors for the Masters raised eyebrows across the golf world and increased speculation that the iconic course could serve as the venue for the five-time Masters champion to return.
Following his comments, Woods is now listed on the Masters website as scheduled to tee off in Group 14 at 10:34 a.m. ET on Thursday, alongside 39-year-old South African Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquín Niemann, a 23-year-old from Chile.
In December, Woods appeared in the pro-am PNC Championship alongside his son, 12-year-old Charlie, for his first competitive round of golf since the February 2021 accident. He said at the time that his power and physical ability weren't where he wanted them to be yet, adding that he didn't know when a return to professional, tournament-level golf would be possible.
"I couldn't walk this golf course even right now, and it's flat," Woods said at the December event. "I don't have the endurance. My leg is not quite right yet, and it's going to take time. I'm a long way from playing tournament golf. This is hit it, hop in a cart and move about my business."
Woods, who last won the event in 2019 as he was continuing to recover from a series of back surgeries, also said Tuesday that he plans to compete at a high level, and said he wouldn't be coming back if he didn't believe he could make the cut, which he has done all 21 times he has appeared in the Masters, according to CBS Sports.
"I love competing. If I feel like I can compete at the highest level, I'm going to," Woods said at the Tuesday news conference. "...I don't show up to an event unless I think I can win it. There will be a day when it won't happen, and I'll know when that is."
Update 4/5/22, 12:05 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.
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