Golf: Golf-Defiant Woods sizing up a sixth Green Jacket

AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) – A defiant Tiger Woods refused to be put out to Augusta National pasture on Tuesday, insisting he was more focused on a sixth Masters Green Jacket than taking on the role of ceremonial starter or any other job that is not winning tournaments.

Ravaged by injuries that have limited him to one PGA Tour start this season that lasted just 24 holes, Woods has always maintained he would never enter a tournament he did not believe he could win and stands by that even in the face of long odds.

Some reporters at Woods’s pre-Masters press conference, which struck a retirement vibe, were not as convinced.

The 48-year-old was asked, given his laundry list of fitness issues, if he was contemplating joining Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson as Masters ceremonial starters or taking on the role of Ryder Cup captain.

Woods brushed off both suggestions, making it clear he was focused on the here and now.

“If everything comes together, I think I can get one more (Green Jacket),” he said with a look that dared anyone to say he could not. “Do I need to describe that any more than that, or are we good? I still think that I can.

“I haven’t got to that point where I don’t think I can’t.

The declaration seemed to lack the conviction of the past but there is little doubt Woods believes he can defy the odds as he has done so many times before, particularly at the Masters.

The American has made a career of proving doubters wrong, as he did in 2019 when he returned from spinal fusion surgery to win a fifth Green Jacket.

He made another miraculous return in 2022, coming back from a near fatal car crash that almost resulted in the amputation of his right leg to keep his run of Masters made cuts alive.

MASTERS CUT

Woods has never missed a Masters cut as a professional and this week could extend his streak to a tournament record 24 after tying Gary Player and Fred Couples last year.

Couples, who practised with Woods on Tuesday, confirmed that his friend is not in Augusta looking to break records.

“The idea of making a cut, I think he would laugh at that,” said Couples. “He’s here to win.

“Can he win here? You know what, yeah,” added Couples.

Woods has made no secret of the pain he plays with and the gruelling preparations needed before each round just to get out on the course.

Still recovering from ankle surgery last April, the big questions hanging over Woods are can he will his battered body through four rounds on one of golf’s more demanding layouts and why continue to put himself through such pain.

“I hurt every day,” said Woods smiling. “I ache every day.

“Every shot not on the tee box is a challenge.

“I love golf. I love competing and I love that feeling when everything’s on fire with a chance to win and either you do or you don’t.”

(Reporting by Steve Keating in Augusta; Editing by Ken Ferris)