‘Not easy’: Tiger Woods in Masters contention thanks to 2 new weapons–
“The quietest moment of Masters Thursday came as Tiger Woods stood on the 18th tee……”
The following written content by DYLAN DETHIER
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The quietest moment of Masters Thursday came as Tiger Woods stood on the 18th tee. There’s only one thing quieter than a man alone on a golf course: A man alone on a golf course in front of several thousand rabid fans, each one of them in disbelief, trying to play it cool.
The scene at 18 was shocking because we’ve seen it so many times before and we didn’t expect to see it again. Here was Tiger Woods, standing in the middle of a crowd, finishing off a strong opening round at Augusta National. The last time Woods played the Masters, in 2020, he played a strong opening round. The time before that, too. But what happened between Woods’ last Masters and this one made this familiar scene feel miraculous. Put another way: How on God’s greenest golf course was this really happening?
Woods paced around the center of the tee box, unmissable in his highlighter mock-neck, unmissable because he’s the most famous golfer in the world, unmissable because just 14 months after sustaining serious injuries in a horrific car crash he was on the brink of an under-par opening round at Augusta National.
Up ahead, tournament leader Cameron Smith was in the midst of making double bogey from the right trees. That meant extra time to wait. Woods, holding steady at one under par, tried to stay loose. He kicked up one leg, then the next. He held driver in his left hand and rehearsed his takeaway; left arm straight, club in its familiar spot. He bent his head left and then right, loosening his neck. He took several intentional breaths.
Woods’ caddie Joe LaCava didn’t say a word. He paced off several steps to a sprinkler head at the front of the tee box and cross-referenced with his yardage book, gathering the exact distance to the bunker on the left. Woods knows the yardage to the bunker. LaCava gathered information anyway, just in case. He knows when he should speak up and when it’s fine to let the silence hang.
At last the fairway cleared and Woods stepped up to his ball. He set his TaylorMade Stealth behind his Bridgestone ball, took one breath and swung away. Read more from Golf.
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