Tiger Woods Arrives at Augusta National for His 25th Masters

Woods has not played since February's Genesis Invitational; he finished 47th last year at the Masters.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods arrived at Augusta National on Sunday to begin on-site preparations for what will be his 25th Masters.

Woods, 47, showed up on the tournament practice range a little after 3 p.m. with his caddie, Joe LaCava. After hitting balls for approximately 30 minutes, he and LaCava headed to the first hole, where Woods had just a putter and a wedge.

Before doing so he visited briefly with Masters chairman Fred Ridley and fellow players Jason Day and Billy Horschel.

Woods was presumably going to walk at least the front nine and work on his short game, a plan he utilized on the Sunday prior to his 2019 Masters victory, his fifth.

Last year, when Woods arrived prior to the Masters, he played the back nine on late Sunday afternoon.

Reporters are not permitted on the course on Sunday beyond the first tee.

Woods finished tied for 45th in February at the Genesis Invitational, his only start this year on the PGA Tour.

He surprisingly returned to the Masters last year just 14 months after a serious car crash that occurred in February 2021 and that causes significant injuries to his lower right leg, ankle and foot.

Woods played in just three official events last year. He was 47th at the 2022 Masters after shooting 78-78 on the weekend as he was obviously in some distress walking. He made the cut at the PGA Championship but withdrew after the third round. He then missed the 36-hole cut at the British Open.

The 15-time major winner has said his intention was to play the major championships and “a few more." He skipped the Players Championship last month.

If Woods follows previous form, he would likely play a nine-hole practice round on Monday and perhaps another on Tuesday before simply practicing on Wednesday.

The weather forecast for the week is ever-changing, with rain and cooler temperatures in play for the tournament.