Moral victory: Tiger Woods thankful to finish Masters, commits to British Open

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It seemed improbable a year ago, but there was Tiger Woods, walking up the final fairway on Sunday at the Masters.

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Woods did not win his sixth green jacket -- in fact, he shot his second straight 78 to finish with his worst score at Augusta National Golf Club in 24 appearances -- but one year after being seriously injured in a car crash, the 15-time majors champion had limped to a moral victory.

Woods, 46, added that he would play in the British Open at St. Andrews in July and will decide if he will play at next month’s major, the PGA Championship, at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Playing in his first official tournament since the single-vehicle wreck outside Los Angeles on Feb. 23, 2021, Woods walked up the final fairway to applause, ESPN reported. Woods tipped his cap to the crowd.

“I keep saying it, but I am (thankful),” Woods told reporters after his round. “I really am. I truly am. Just to get to this point.”

Woods shot a 72-hole total of 13-over 301, but the score seemed beside the point. His surgically repaired right leg held up during 72 holes at one of professional golf’s most grueling courses.

Woods’ previous worst score was a 6-over total in 1996, his second appearance at the Masters, when he was an amateur, ESPN reported. It was the first time Woods played over par in the final two rounds of the Masters and the first time he finished with double-digit numbers over par at a major championship since struggled to a 13-over mark at the 2013 U.S. Open, according to ESPN.

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“I don’t think words can really describe that given where I was a little over a year ago and what my prospects were at that time to end up here and be able to play in all four rounds,” Woods told reporters. “Even a month ago, I didn’t know if I could pull this off. I think it was a positive, and I’ve got some work to do and looking forward to it.”

It seems likely that Woods will not play again until the PGA Championship next month at Southern Hills, The New York Times reported. According to the newspaper, Woods has said that his schedule for this season might be modeled after that of golf great Ben Hogan, who was seriously injured in a car wreck in 1949 and rebounded to win the U.S. Open the following year and two more majors in 1951.

Hogan was selective in his play during those years, skipping many tournaments.

Woods said as much after his final round, according to Golfweek.

“I won’t be playing a full schedule ever again, and so it’ll be just the big events. I don’t know if I’ll be able to play Southern Hills or not, but I am looking forward to St. Andrews,” Woods told SkySports host Cara Banks in a live interview. “And so that is something that is near and dear to my heart. I’ve won two Opens there, it’s the home of Golf and it’s my favorite golf course in the world. So I will be there for that one. But anything in between that, I don’t know.

“I will try, there’s no doubt, this week I will try and get ready for Southern Hills and we’ll see what this body is able to do.”

Woods won the British Open at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005, completing the career Grand Slam at the 2000 Open, according to Golfweek.

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