Tiger Woods And The 86th Masters: Will He? Won’t He? Can He?

Will he or won’t he?

The sports world and beyond is holding its collective breath today and basically wondering, perhaps hoping.

Will Tiger Woods tee it up next week in the 86th playing of The Masters?

There are probably two people right now who know the answer to the question — Tiger Woods his ownself and perhaps, his buddy/sidekick/sometimes confidant Justin Thomas.  A maybe for Tiger’s caddie, Joe LaCava and perhaps for young Charlie.  So maybe it’s four who have the best notion.

Things went to another level of craziness early Tuesday morning this past week when the Gulfstream jet, aka Air Tiger, set down on the tarmac at Augusta Regional Airport.  A week from now there will be more private jets parked there than you can count.

But this one was special — it had the N517TW lettering on the engines — identifying it as the private wings of El Tigre.  There’s also the Tiger Woods logo on the tail.  On board were Tiger, son Charlie, Woods’ aforementioned caddie LaCava and world No. 7 J.T.

It touched down shortly after 9:30 a.m. and it’s just a short trip to the stately Augusta National Golf Club at 2604 Washington Road.

Once on the grounds, the threesome spent time on the world-class Masters practice grounds then it was time for Woods to see how his surgically repaired right leg and ankle would handle the non-walker friendly Augusta National terrain.

There were other big names on property — former champions Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed and Masters hopeful Rory McIlroy.  Quick in and out for Rory, he had to get back to San Antonio on Wednesday for the Texas Open pro-am.

There are too many eyeballs at Augusta National to not get some sort of report on Woods.  Tons of employees, some early volunteer workers, grounds crews as final prep work winds up.

One “source” on site, begging for anonymity reported that Woods played every hole and said source declared:  “He looked good to me.”

At 5:47 p.m. — it was wheels-up for Air Tiger and the quick trip back to the private airport in Stuart, Florida, where Tiger’s plane is hangered.

So now everyone waits.  There is no deadline for Tiger to declare his intentions to play or not play.  He can opt out any moment before his April 7 first round tee time.

For the record, in the three times when Woods missed The Masters, he made his decision before tournament week.  Latest he ever waited was the Friday before, and this year’s “Friday before” just happens to fall on April 1.

McIlroy was quizzed on Wednesday when he met with the media at TPC San Antonio.

Rory pretty much said what most of us would say:

“I think for golf and for the Masters Tournament and for everyone, to have Tiger there would be phenomenal.  I think it just adds to the event. Anything Tiger Woods does in the game of golf is heightened whenever he’s there. It would be awesome for him to be there. .

“He’s trying to see what he can do. Obviously, no one knows but him if he can make it around and if he believes he can compete.”

Thank-you, Rory.  You read our collective minds.

There’s so much to consider when you think about the possibility that Tiger might actually play next week.

Consider he hasn’t played in an official event since the 2020 Masters that was moved to November that year thanks to the pandemic.  Tiger sat out the first part of 2021, recovering from a fifth back surgery.  Then came “The Crash” in February.

There was that wonderful cart ride last December at the PNC, at an event Tiger and most of us would call “hit and giggle.”

But this is The Masters.

Just about seven days to first ball in the air.

Will he?

Won’t he?

All things considered, he just might be leaning towards — he will!

Field For The 86th Masters (Texas Open winner will qualify if not already in):