Tiger Woods Is Back at the Masters, But What He's Been Through Remains Top of Mind

The five-time champion can make some more history this week, but the reality is that no one knows how his body will hold up.

The Masters - Previews / Andrew Redington/GettyImages

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Tiger Woods arrived in Augusta on Sunday and appears set to make his 26th appearance in the tournament, with the possibility of setting a tournament record if he is able to make the 36-hole cut. Woods is tied with Gary Player and Fred Couples with 23 straight dating to his first as a pro in 1997 when he won the first of his five green jackets.

His return this week is another reminder of the physical woes that have limited him for the better part of a decade. Woods has not played since withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational during the second round on Feb. 16 due to illness. Despite his own hopes to perhaps play once a month starting in February, Woods skipped the Florida events where he might have played.

Tiger Woods walks with Rob McNamara and caddie Lance Bennett Sunday at Augusta National. / Andrew Redington/GettyImages

He was here at Augusta National on March 30 to play a practice round—he played with Masters chairman Fred Ridley—and seems set on following a routine that will likely see him play just nine holes each day this week and maybe not even that much.

Such are the obstacles he now faces.

It’s been 10 years since Woods had his first “microdiscectomy,” a back procedure that now seems so routine, as much as we’ve heard about it. Back then, it came as a huge shock, as it meant Woods would be missing the 2014 Masters, his first absence since qualifying in 1995.

“After attempting to get ready for the Masters and failing to make the necessary progress, I decided, in consultation with my doctors to have this procedure done,” Woods said at the time.

And so began a decade-long odyssey of injury. It was portrayed as a minor procedure to eliminate lower disk pain. Woods had started having back troubles at the PGA Championship in 2013. He withdrew during the final round of the Honda Classic in 2024 and struggled the following week at Doral, where he shot a third-round 66 before fading.

That would end up being his last tournament before a return in June—which probably turned out to be too soon. He finished far back at the British Open, withdrew during the final round at Firestone, then missed the cut a week later at the PGA Championship.

A year prior, Woods was No. 1 in the world, having won five times including the Players Championship and two World Golf Championship events. He wouldn’t win again until 2018.

Along the way, he had two more microdiscectomies along with the spinal fusion surgery in April 2017 that set the stage for a dramatic comeback and a 2019 Masters victory.

Over the past 10 years, Tiger has played in just 73 official worldwide tournaments. He’s withdrawn seven times, missed 12 cuts, posted 16 top 10s and played in just 21 major championships. (There were 39 contested during that period).

 And he, of course, celebrated three victories, including the 2019 Masters.