With 72 Holes Complete at Masters, Tiger Woods Looks Ahead to British Open, Maybe More

The end result was Tiger Woods' worst at Augusta National, but he played with pain well enough to be able to commit to another major.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Spectators lined the ropes as he made the journey from the 18th green to the Augusta National scoring area adjacent to the clubhouse, the scene reminiscent of his 2019 victory at the Masters.

Then, he was walking on air following perhaps the greatest win of his career. On Sunday, he was hobbling in, both literally and figuratively, after shooting a second straight 78, his signature left to make it official.

Bubba Watson was there to greet him first, telling Woods “I’m proud of you.’’ The sentiment was similar from those who cheered Woods as he made his way in after a surreal week in which he returned to competitive golf just 14 months after horrible car crash nearly took part of his right leg.

Also there was his mom, Tida; girlfriend, Erica; kids Sam and Charlie, his friend Rob McNamara and several people who work for him or his foundation. Many followed him throughout the round, witness to only a few highlights.

In the end, Woods produced his worst 72-hole score at the Masters, 301, 13 over par; he finished in his worst position, 47th. And his Saturday and Sunday scores of 78 were the worst in 94 Masters rounds.

No matter. This was but a part of a remarkable process, one that already has him looking forward to future tournaments, including the British Open and maybe the PGA Championship next month.

“I won’t be playing a full schedule ever again, so it’ll be just the big events,’’ Woods told Sky Sports in an interview afterward. “I don’t know if I’ll play Southern Hills (site of the PGA Championship) or not. But I’m looking forward to St. Andrews. That is something near and dear to my heart. I’ve won two Opens there. It’s the home of golf and it’s my favorite course in the world. I will be there for that one.

“But anything between that I don’t know. Like this week, try and get ready for Southern Hills and see what this this body can do.’’

Woods managed just a single birdie on Sunday and again struggled with putting and chipping. It’s understandable given his long layoff and lack of competition. He hit 10 of 18 greens but needed 34 putts to rank last in the field among those who made the cut.

Afterward, Woods was not too focused on the details. It was the big picture that emerged. In noticeable discomfort as he was finishing his round, Woods acknowledged he will need a few days to recover and then get back to work. He left open the possibility of the PGA Championship in five weeks, but it appears there won’t be a warm-up event in advance.

And that’s OK, it seems. For a man who has 82 PGA Tour titles and 15 major championships, competing here this week was a different kind of victory.

“For not winning an event, yes. Yes, without a doubt,’’ he said. “To go from where I was to get to this point, I’ve had an incredible team that has helped me and incredible support.

“Then to come here on these grounds and have the patrons – I played in a COVID year (2020), and then I didn’t play last year. (2019) was the last time for me that I experienced having patrons like this, and it’s exciting. It’s inspiring. It’s fun to hear the roars, to hear the holes-in-ones.

“We have just an amazing day today and now the wind is starting to pick up, it’s to swirl a little bit,’’ Woods said as the leaders were starting their rounds. “I think it’s going to be fun to watch.’’