Will Tiger Woods play in the Masters? Conspiracy theories galore ahead of 2022 tourney
There's renewed hope that Tiger Woods will play in the Masters this year after internet sleuths noticed that the 15-time major champion has not formally declared that he won't compete.
Woods, 46, wasn't sure he would be playing tournament golf anytime soon after sustaining debilitating injuries in a single-car accident last February, including multiple leg fractures among other injuries. But earlier this week, Bro Bible's Mark Harris noticed that the golfing ace was not included in a list distributed by the tournament featuring former champions like Phil Mickelson, who is sitting out the major, the New York Post reported.
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Harris noted how Mickelson is listed on the Masters' website as a past champion that won't be playing the 2022 Masters.
The Masters’ website lists Phil Mickelson as a past champion that won’t be playing in the 2022 Masters.
— Mark Harris (@itismarkharris) March 21, 2022
Tiger Woods’ name is not listed.👀 pic.twitter.com/5qihITfgCO
This was followed by Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee sharing a tweet by a Shooter McGavin parody account that claimed Woods was listed on the Masters' website as a player in the tournament. "Nothing to see here," Chamblee wrote.
On February 23, 2021, two days after the conclusion of the Genesis Invitational, Woods was involved in a horrifying single-car crash after failing to make a curve on a Los Angeles road. The links legend crashed his Genesis GV80 SUV courtesy car into a tree and rolled over, trapping himself in the vehicle. While Woods has no recollection of the accident, he said that he was fortunate that he didn't lose his leg.
"I wish I could tell you when I’m playing again," Woods had said in Los Angeles in February. "I want to know, but I don’t. My golf activity has been very limited. I can chip and putt really well and hit short irons very well, but I haven’t done any long stuff seriously," he continued. “I’m still working on the walking part. My foot was a little messed up there about a year ago, so the walking part is something that I’m still working on, working on strength and development in that. It takes time. What’s frustrating is it’s not on my timetable. I want to be at a certain place, but I’m not," the golf legend added.
That said, Woods hasn't officially declared that he will not play the Masters in April. In December, Woods competed in the PNC Championship with his son Charlie, who is said to have uncanny similarities to his father. The duo placed second in the tournament to John Daly and his son John Daly II. However, Woods' mobility would have had to improve considerably from his condition last month if he must play in the Masters.
“I can walk on a treadmill all day,’’ Woods said in February. “That’s easy. That’s just straight, there are no bumps in the road. But walking on a golf course where there are undulations, I have a long way to go. It’s been tough, but I’ve gotten here, I’ve gotten this far and I still have a long way to go. Each and every day’s a fight, and I welcome that fight. Get up in the morning, let’s go a few more rounds," he further added.