Tiger Woods was at Augusta National last week for a practice round according to Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, although popular Twitter account TW Legion has since claimed the report “wasn’t accurate”.
Nevertheless, according to the original report, Woods played the famous venue on Thursday last week during the Players Championship opening round ahead of his 25th Masters appearance next month.
The 15-time Major champion has won at Augusta five times, including his first and last, to date, Major victories in 1997 and 2019. He also won the Green Jacket in 2001, 2002 and 2005.
He scouted out the course where he made his Major return last year following his LA car crash in February 2021, with Woods making the cut and finishing in 47th place at 13-over-par.
Woods will have seen the newly-extended par 5 13th hole at Augusta last week for the first time, with the famous dogleg-left hole finally being lengthened ahead of this year’s tournament. A new tee was built on the iconic par 5, with the yardage increased by 35 yards from 510 to 545 for the 2023 Masters.
It’s unknown who Woods played with, although two-time Masters champion – winner in 2012 and 2014 – Bubba Watson was also reportedly at Augusta last Thursday.
Rory McIlroy was said to be on-site on Monday this week, as was defending champion Scottie Scheffler. No pros will be there today as it is reportedly the club’s spring jamboree.
It’s the second known visit to a 2023 Major venue made by Tiger Woods this year, after he toured the Los Angeles Country Club during the week of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.
Woods was said to have driven the US Open venue’s layout in a cart. He missed last year’s US Open in preparation for the 150th Open at St Andrews but is expected to play in all four of this year’s Majors.
The PGA Championship in May takes place at Oak Hill Country Club in New York, with the Open Championship returning to Royal Liverpool Golf Club in July, scene of Woods’ 2006 triumph when he won his third Claret Jug.
This year’s Masters is set to be one of the most anticipated in memory, with PGA and DP World Tour stars facing off against LIV Golf players for the first time since July’s Open Championship.
A total of 16 LIV players will be in the Masters field, including past Masters champions Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia as well as Major champions Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.