Tiger Woods is at Augusta, but fans are not with him. Last December, the veteran golfer hinted he looked forward to playing one tournament a month. Naturally, fans expected to catch a glimpse of Woods more than what they got – one full round at the Genesis Invitational followed by an early withdrawal on Friday. 

So, when reports came out that Woods might be in Augusta National amping up his Masters preparation, very few seemed convinced. Even after getting to know that Justin Thomas and Augusta chairman are accompanying the five-time Masters champion. But the 2024 Masters can be more special for the 48-year-old as he is at the cusp of another career milestone. 

A lot hinges on Tiger Woods making the cut

Radaratlas2, an X (formerly Twitter) account tracked down Woods’s N517TW, a Gulfstream G550, touching down in Augusta. TWLegion, a Tiger Woods fan community with well-placed sources, also confirmed that the 15-time Major Champion is at Augusta for a practice round. This is an indication that Woods will tee up for the first time since his Genesis Invitational withdrawal.

TWLegion later also reported that Woods is playing with Augusta National Chairman, Fred Ridley and his close companion, Justin Thomas. The 15-time PGA Tour winner is known to be in the close circles of Tiger Woods. The two have played practice rounds together many times before. Bob Harig of the Sports Illustrated too corroborated the report.

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This year, the 48-year-old can surpass Gary Player and Fred Couples by making 24 consecutive cuts in the Masters. However, Woods has yet to play four full rounds in any official PGA Tour event this year. The veteran golfer admitted in February that he was “going to be rusty.” While an early practice round indicates that the former World No.1 will tee up at the Masters, fans seem unconvinced that he would be there till Sunday.

Netizens feel the scouting mission had a different purpose

Some fans had only one wish. “Please make past day one!!! Please make past day one!!” The Hall of Famer withdrew after hitting his tee shot at the seventh at Riviera Country Club. Some seemed sure that in Augusta National, too, Woods “won’t get past eight holes.” Another user wondered what was the purpose behind the early Augusta visit. 

Woods had to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational due to influenza. However, the Internet prematurely blamed his In-N-Out burger for his withdrawal. Some fans on social media still can’t resist taking a dig at Woods’s food choice. His last PGA Tour victory came at the 2020 Zozo Championship. Some already feel it’s time for him to hang up his clubs because the game has moved ahead and Woods can’t catch up.

Tiger Woods hosted Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the player directors of the PGA Tour in his Bahamas resort. In fact, Woods took a very active part in the meeting. Some fans feel that his Augusta outing might be more than just a scouting mission.

This will be the 26th Masters for Tiger Woods. He has earned the bragging rights five times and came runner-up twice with a further seven finishes within the top ten. Notably, Jack Nicklaus played his last Masters in 2005, at 65 years of age. Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship at 50. So, Tiger Woods fans have reasons to hope that the former world no.1 can conjure magic once again.

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