April 6, 2022, Augusta: The 86th Masters, with a total prize fund of $11.5 million, will begin April 7-10. Golf star Tiger Woods attended a press conference today, and on the question of whether to participate, he said: "At the moment, I think I can compete, but I have to play 9 holes before making the final decision. ”
Star Tom Watson is officially inaugurated as the honored starter of the Masters, and he will kick off the tournament at 7:40 a.m. on Thursday morning with two golf legends, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Pleier. Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain and "post-90s" PGA Tour champion J.J. Spel will depart as the first group at 8:00 a.m.
The Masters' traditional Champions Dinner takes place on Tuesday, and defending champion Hideki Matsuyama prepares a japanese set of dishes including sashimi, hand-held sushi, A5 and beef rib eyes, and Japanese strawberry cake!
Whether Woods can compete is one of the suspense of the 86th Masters. After practicing with 9 holes on Sunday and Monday, Woods showed up at a press conference at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and showed a positive willingness to play, and he needed to play nine more holes on Wednesday to confirm whether to stand on Thursday's tee. Woods, who has five green jackets, said he believed he could win a sixth green jacket this week when questioned by reporters.
Currently, the name tiger appears in the starting table for the first round of the event. If he confirms his entry, he will depart on Thursday at 10:34 a.m. local time with Grand Slam winner and South African star Luis Urschuren and PGA Tour champion Joaquin Nieman from Chile. If Woods were to stand on the tee of the 2022 Masters, it would also be his first high-level competition since the 2020 Masters. In the past two years, Woods has only participated in the father-son PNC tournament with his son Charlie twice in December 2020 and December 2021.
During his career, Woods has participated in the Masters 23 times, 14 of which have finished in the top ten and won 5 times. In 1997, he won his first green jacket at the age of 21, and in 2019, Woods won his fifth green jacket at the age of 43, inspiring fans around the world. Woods was also the Masters champion in 2001, 2002 and 2005, and his last appearance at the Masters was in 2020. Injured in a car accident in February 2021, Woods missed the Masters in April. Now, Woods, 46, is just 14 months away from the crash, and although the four-day, 72-hole race looks like an ultramarathon for him, and although he still has steel nails buried in his feet, he is eager to stand on the tee and fight for new victories.
"From a golf perspective alone, I have no doubt about my skills, mainly physical condition," Tiger Woods said, "I think it's a success to get to where I am now." Now I can play if I have a chance to storm the championship on the back nine holes on Sunday? Well, the things will be done just like they did a few years ago. ”
Victory is also the desire of every participating player. Rory McIlroy will pound the Green Jacket again at Augusta National Club. McIlroy, who holds the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship titles, is only one game away from winning the Masters to complete a career Grand Slam, becoming the sixth player in history to do so. In the past 10 Masters, he has been in the top 10 six times, but he has always failed.
McIlroy said patience and discipline are key, as he learned when he was in the group with Dustin Johnson in the first two rounds of the 2020 Masters, when Hestin Johnson shot a 12-under-par 12 on the front 36 holes and eventually won the championship. "At the time, DJs basically did everything this pitch asked you to do," McIlroy said, "and it's a disciplined, patient, and knowing that it's good to play par, even if it's a par-five ending." Keep up the pace and move on. ”
On Thursday, McIlroy will depart in the same group as Brooks Koepka and Matthew Fitzpatrick at 2:03 p.m. local time, the final group of the round.
"The neck pain has been bothering me lately and I've done some treatments. After coming to Augusta this week, I felt very good and should be in the best form in a long time, so I am looking forward to the upcoming game on Thursday and also looking forward to being 100% in shape. The defending champion of the Masters, Hideki Matsuyama, said he would be in the same group as Justin Thomas and amateur James Piot at 10:34 a.m.
Bringing together 91 top players, the 86th Masters will officially kick off on Thursday. Who will wear the green jacket of the most glorious champion in golf and write a new history? Let's wait and see.