How did Tiger Woods finish at the Masters?

The five-time champion at Augusta National was clearly laboring on a cold, blustery Saturday, with his biggest struggles coming on the greens.

• Author:

  Bob Harig

• Publish date:

  Apr 9, 2022 7:02 PM EDT

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The steps were measured, and careful. Tiger Woods was conscious of which foot went first as he emerged from the scoring area on Saturday and again when having to get up onto a podium for a brief interview with reporters.

He was careful to put the left foot first, bearing all of his weight, an understandable reflex on a day in which it was clear that Woods was far from his best physically.

And after signing for a 78 – his highest score at Augusta National in 93 rounds over 24 years – and doing a few minutes’ worth of interviews, he took his time getting to the clubhouse with his agent, Mark Steinberg.

A scene such as this seemed inevitable given the speedy timetable Woods had in returning from the serious injuries he suffered to his right leg, ankle and foot in a car crash 14 months ago.

But don’t forget his fused spine and all the back issues he has endured. That, too, played a role on a brutal weather day when the temperature never climbed out of the 50s and the wind chill made it colder.

“It’s not as limber and loose as it normally is, that’s for sure,’’ Woods said afterward.

As tough as it was on Woods to walk, it’s not a stretch to suggest a good bit of his problems were due to his back. He’s had five back procedures, including a fourth microdiscectomy in December of 2020, just two months prior to the car crash.

When Woods’ lower back is bothering him, it plays out more in his short game. The clubs used for chipping and putting and even short-iron shots into greens cause him to bend over more. The instinct is to lessen the pain, which can lead to different technique and posture.

Perhaps that had something to do with four three-putt greens and a four-putt. In his entire PGA Tour career, Woods never had more than four greens in a round in which he took three putts or more. He had 36 putts total. And he played his last three holes in 4 over par, including a double bogey at the 18th.

Woods did not blame his back for the poor putting.

“I mean, it’s just like I hit a thousand putts out there on the greens today,’’ he said. “Obviously it's affected the score. You take those away and I have normal two putts, I made even par for the day. I did what I needed to do ball striking-wise, but I did absolutely the exact opposite on the greens.

“I just could not get a feel for getting comfortable with the ball. Posture, feel, my right hand, my release, I just couldn't find it. Trying different things, trying to find it, trying to get something, taking practice strokes and just trying to feel the swing and the putter head, trying to get anything, and nothing seemed to work.’’

And then Woods was self-deprecating.

“Even as many putts as I had, you'd think I'd have figured it out somewhere along the line, but it just didn't happen,’’ he said.

Woods hit 11 of 18 greens in regulation, his best of the tournament. He hit 11 of 14 fairways, also his best. He made birdies at the second, 12th and 13th holes but also had two double bogeys, including a four-putt at the fifth hole.

It was a day with just nine scores under par and a scoring average over 74.5.

“It hasn’t changed,’’ Woods said of the physical challenge. “Today was a challenge with the conditions. The conditions were tough today. There were tough yesterday starting out, but at least we got a little bit of a lull at the end. It’s just been blustery all day. You add in the temperature difference, it was cold starting out, the ball wasn’t going very far.

“I thought it was tough. Some of the other guys may not say that, but for me I had a tough time.’’

At 223, 7 over par, Woods dropped into a tie for 41st place. His worst finish in 21 previous appearances as a pro was 40th in 2012.

Playing 72 holes was never going to be easy, and it was made worse by a cold weather day.

“I’m sure his leg is hurting,’’ said Kevin Kisner, who played the third round with Woods. “I mean, I’m hurting and I’m healthy, so I hope he can get back out there and play a couple more events with us here soon.’’

AUGUSTA, Ga. — With a second consecutive 78 in the books and a closing score of 13 over par, Tiger Woods wrapped up his improbable participation in the 86th Masters and grew reflective Sunday.

“This tournament has meant so much to me and my family — this entire tournament,” he said of the Masters in general. “You go back to the year I was born — [1975] was the year that the first Black man played in the Masters in Lee Elder. He was an honorary starter last year. He was there when I won in ’97. Twenty-five years later, here I am playing again.”

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He had played again in his first competition since the Masters of November 2020 and in his first competition since his frightening one-car crash in Southern California in February 2021, which almost cost him his right leg as well as any further chapter of a voluminous career. All of the above rendered a stunner his 71 on Thursday on a rebuilt leg, rendered an accomplishment his 74 on Friday as the wear and tear built and rendered unsurprising his 78s of Saturday and Sunday.

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“You can just tell that his leg is just not quite up there yet,” said Jon Rahm, the U.S. Open champion and the No. 2 player in the world, who played alongside Woods in the sunshine Sunday. “I’ve seen him in the truck. He is limping in the truck. He is limping on the course. Obviously he is trying very hard to play, but it’s not easy to walk up and down those hills.

“At the end, you can just tell that his leg and his body are just not used to walking this much, right? I believe at home if he can walk and get strength up and stamina in that sense, he will be able to be competitive again. This is the hardest walk all year. He will be able to go somewhere where it’s a little easier to walk. It won’t be as long, and I believe he’ll be able to contend.”

Scottie Scheffler caps remarkable rise with a dominant Masters victory

If the crowds witnessing Woods this week at Augusta National lend a hint, Woods in contention could create quite some noise somewhere, someday. For now, the galleries seemed primed for more than just the usual commiseration from those many fans who understand the brutality of golf but a commiseration from all those who understand calamity and recovery.

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That’s even if they might not understand the details.

“I don’t think people really understand,” Woods said. “The people who are close to me understand. They’ve seen it. Some of the players who are close to me have seen it and have seen some of the pictures and the things that I have had to endure. They appreciate it probably more than anyone else because they know what it takes to do this out there at this level. It’s one thing to play with my son at a hit-and-giggle, but it’s another thing to play in a major championship. It’s been a tough road and one that I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to be able to grind through it. A lot of different things could have happened, but 14 months [later], I’m able to tee it up and play in the Masters.”

That lent an air of festival to this tournament and maybe even helped Rahm close with a 69 after rounds of 74, 72 and 77. “It’s really cool,” he said. “It was great because nobody cared about me, so I was just watching him play. It was one more spectator, and I ended playing good — kind of a bit of a load off my shoulders in that sense. I was able to enjoy today as a fan and as a player.”

He and they saw a 46-year-old who has done an unusual amount of winning — 15 major titles, five Masters titles — in a sport that tends to limit winning but who wound up ranking this Masters highly among his achievements while giving it a predictable asterisk.

“For not winning an event, yes,” he said. “Yes, without a doubt.”

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