Tiger Woods' last-place finish at the Masters won't deter the 82-time PGA Tour champion from competing in the year's remaining majors. Just the opposite, in fact.
Tiger, who made his record 24th consecutive Masters cut, was encouraged by his overall performance at Augusta National. The 48-year-old relied on course knowledge and his nifty short game to survive brutal conditions on Thursday and Friday. He entered the weekend at +1, seven strokes behind eventual champ Scottie Scheffler.
Tiger's body gave way over the weekend. He shot a career-worst-round of 82 (+10) on Saturday and a 77 on Sunday to finish his 26th Masters at 16-over.
(There were feel-good moments from Tiger's Augusta weekend: His 100th Masters round came alongside charmingly overwhelmed amateur Neal Shipley. His dap of the retiring Verne Lundquist on No. 16 was rewarding).
“It was a good week,” Tiger said. “It was a good week all around. I think that coming in here, not having played a full tournament in a very long time, it was a good fight on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, yesterday it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to.”
Tiger had only completed 72 holes in three PGA Tour events since his 2021 car accident, and not since February 2023. He withdrew after two rounds of the 2023 Masters and underwent ankle surgery weeks later. He WD'd in the second round of the 2024 Genesis Invitational due to illness.
At his pre-Masters press conference, Tiger expressed hope that the monthly cadence of the season's four major championships would “kick in” his initial plan to compete in about “tournament a month” in 2024.
Four grueling days of golf later, the 15-time major champion was already eyeing the next one. On Sunday, Tiger reiterated his intention to tee it up at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club (May 16-19) in Louisville, Kentucky. He also indicated plans to enter the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in North Carolina (June 13-16) and the Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland (July 20-23).
“This is a golf course I knew going into it, so I'm going to do my homework going forward at Pinehurst, Valhalla and Troon, but that's kind of the game plan,” Woods said. “It's always nice coming back here because I know the golf course. I know how to play it. I can kind of simulate shots. Granted, it's never quite the same as getting out here and doing it.”
Tiger was spotted scouting Augusta National with Justin Thomas and club chairman Fred Ridley two weeks before the Masters.
“Same thing. I heard there's some changes at the next couple sites. So [I have] to get up there early and check them out.”
Tiger won the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla in a playoff over Bob May. He also won Wanamaker trophies in 1999, 2006, and 2007.
“I just [need to] keep lifting, keep the motor going, keep the body moving, keep getting stronger, and keep progressing,” Tiger said about his preparation for Valhalla. “Hopefully, the practice sessions will keep getting longer.”
Valhalla last hosted the PGA Championship in 2014, when Rory McIlroy won his fourth — and to date, last — major championship.
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