Tiger Woods Still Hasn't Announced His Masters Plans

Woods remains entered in the 2022 Masters and is under no obligation to announce his plans.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – There was no news from Tiger Woods on Friday regarding whether or not he will play in the Masters next week.

The question: is that good news?

Woods, who has been the subject of considerable speculation and chatter about returning to competitive golf after visiting Augusta National for a practice round on Tuesday, is under no obligation to say anything.

He remains entered in the tournament and Masters officials have said a player remains on the official tournament list until he says otherwise. The field stands at 90 players, including Woods, after the withdrawal on Thursday by Harris English, who is recovering from a torn labrum.

One more spot can be earned in the field if the winner of the Valero Texas Open is not already invited. Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama pulled out of the Texas tournament Friday with a shoulder and neck injury that kept him out of the Players Championship and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Woods, 46, has not played since a tie for 38th at the 2020 Masters. On Feb. 23 2021, he suffered serious injuries in a one-car crash in southern California that left him hospitalized for weeks. His underwent several surgeries and after returning to his South Florida home, he could not walk unaided for months.

In his limited interviews in recent months, Woods suggested it would be a long time before he would be able to compete in an official tournament, but that he was undergoing extensive rehabilitation in order to return to competitive golf at some point.

That escalated this week when he arrived at Augusta National and played a practice round with his son, Charlie, and fellow Tour player and neighbor Justin Thomas. Woods returned to South Florida afterward to assess and, perhaps, prepare for his 24th Masters.

But the five-time Masters winner has not offered an update on the situation.

Meanwhile, Augusta National has yet to release its tournament interview schedule for Monday and Tuesday, in theory, to potentially wait to slot Woods into the lineup.

The tournament traditionally announces starting times for the event on Tuesday afternoon, and would likely prefer to have some indication from Woods on whether or not he playing so as not to release the groupings with the possibility of one threesome having to play short.

So the wait moves into Saturday. And possibly longer.

More 2022 Masters Coverage on Morning Read:

- What Players Will Wear at 2022 Masters
- Learning to Play the Masters Just Takes Time, As The Players Say Themselves
- Tiger Woods Plays Augusta National as Speculation Swirls
- 30 Years Later, Fred Couples' Green Jacket Still Resonates
- Golf's (Augusta) National Treasure: 99-Year-Old Jackie Burke
- Updated Field List for 2022 Masters
- This Teenager is Masters' Most Improbable Participant
- A Half-Century of Masters Stories From One Family
- 'It Just Adds to the Event.' Rory McIlroy Hopes Tiger Woods Is Able to Compete in 2022 Masters