Tiger Woods Makes a Surprising Change to His Masters Preparations
Tiger Woods hasn’t had much success since his win at Augusta National Golf Club last April. In the only two events Woods has played this season, he missed the cut in one and finished T72 in the other.
With The Masters quickly approaching, Woods only has about two weeks to fix his game and defend his green jacket. Woods expressed interest in playing the Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course this weekend for a tune-up, but he just made a surprising announcement 16 days before his return to Augusta National.
Tiger Woods hasn’t played much competitive golf of late
Woods had one of the most emotional wins of his career last year at the 2019 Masters, but he hasn’t teed it up on the PGA Tour much since then.
He played in only eight events during the entire 2020 season, and his play fell off dramatically down the stretch. After three straight top-10s to start the season, Woods didn’t finish better than 37th in any tournament the rest of the way.
Woods finished the season with a T51 in the BMW Championship. He’s failed to qualify for the TOUR Championship in two straight years.
Woods has played just two PGA Tour events in a span that’s lasted nearly three months. In September, he missed the cut at the 2020 U.S. Open after rounds of 73 and 77. Woods took a full month off before teeing it up at the ZOZO Championship last weekend, an event he won last year. Things didn’t exactly go as well this time around, as Woods finished T72 out of 77 finishing players.
The 2020 Masters is just two weeks away
Woods’ recent form doesn’t bode well for his title defense at Augusta National in a few weeks. He’s been over par in eight of his last 10 competitive rounds on Tour, which isn’t going to get it done at a major championship.
The Masters is just 16 days away, as it’s scheduled to start on Thursday, Nov. 12. Woods wants more than anything to repeat as the champion for his 16th career major, but he’ll have to find something special in the next few weeks to do so.
He was contemplating playing in the Houston Open this coming weekend to stay fresh, but has since decided against it.
Woods won’t play another PGA Tour round until The Masters
Most players like to compete in at least one tournament a week or two ahead of a major championship to build some momentum. That would be especially helpful for Woods, who’s been one of the worst players on Tour over his last few starts.
But Woods announced Tuesday he wouldn’t be competing in the Houston Open this weekend as he originally planned. Instead, he’ll finish his Masters preparations at home, according to Daniel Rapaport of Golf Digest.
Woods will still try to fine-tune his swing in time for Augusta National, but he won’t be doing it on the PGA Tour circuit. But who knows? Maybe Amen Corner and the azaleas will bring out some magic in the five-time Masters champ.
