Tiger Woods Bids Farewell To The Masters With His Worst Result At Augusta
Unable to avoid last place among the 60 players who made the cut, Tiger Woods said goodbye to the Augusta Masters, the tournament that has played a huge part in his career.
It’s a farewell that comes after breaking the record for consecutive cuts at Augusta – 24 in a row, an all-time record – and the disappointment of two raw rounds of 82 and 77 strokes, the worst and fourth highest of his life at Augusta National.
Tiger started the morning well. It was hot, which his battered back especially needed; his son Charlie had accompanied him on the driving range and, in addition, it was a special anniversary at Augusta National. He was going to play his 100th round.
He started with a bang. He shot for eagle on the 2nd hole. And another superb drive almost allowed him to make it on the 3rd, a par 4 whose green was reachable in one stroke on Sunday.
But the ball didn’t stop, went down the slope and from there his problems began. He made a bogey and, two strokes later, on the 5th, he lost the ball on the tee shot. A triple bogey that dropped him to the last position on the leaderboard.
Another mistake
It took him one more bogey to square his swing and from then on, he put together a string of eight pars until the 16th, the last of the course’s par 5s, which revealed that his short game is nowhere near what it used to be.
He added another mistake and said goodbye to his backyard amidst ovations, but with the evaporated idea that someday he will be able to chase Jack Nicklaus and his six green jackets. Next stop, Valhalla, venue of the PGA Championship.
“There is no other secret than to keep working and keep the engine running,” he said.
He left the tournament by greeting Verne Lundquist, the legend who has broadcast the Masters for CBS for 40 years and who is retiring.
“His voice is part of my life. I will have him in my memory for the rest,” said the five-time champion who also revealed that talks with Yassir Al Rummayan weeks ago in the Bahamas towards finding a PGA Tour-LIV deal “are going in the right direction.”
