AUGUSTA, Georgia, (Reuters) – As if Tiger Woods has not already enjoyed enough success at Augusta National, he added his name yet again to the Masters record book yesterday as his 24th consecutive made cut at the major marked another tournament milestone.
Woods has never missed a Masters cut as a professional and now the 48-year-old sits alone atop the record list at Augusta National with one more consecutively made cut than fellow Masters champions Gary Player and Fred Couples.
The five-times Masters champion fired an even-par 72 on a brutally windy but picture-perfect day of unbroken sunshine to sit one over on the week and comfortably inside the cut line.
But Woods, who said he will enjoy some time later on Friday to appreciate his latest accomplishment, was naturally looking at the bigger picture.
“It means I have a chance going into the weekend. I’m here. I have a chance to win the golf tournament,” said Woods. “I got my two rounds in. Just need some food and some caffeine, and I’ll be good to go.”
Coming into the Masters, Woods had played just 24 holes of competitive golf this year given his physical limitations and he faced a daunting 23-hole test of endurance on Friday after his opening round was suspended on Thursday due to darkness.
And so, less than an hour after finishing the final five holes of his first round, Woods went back out hoping his injury-ravaged body, including the ankle he had fused last year, would hold up on a hilly and taxing Augusta National layout.
But the greatest golfer of his generation, who has nothing left to prove, looked comfortable and showed several flashes of his artistry on a course he knows better than any other golfer in the field.
“I was forced to get up-and-down a few times today, and I was able to do that,” said Woods. “A lot of those chip shots I was able to get up-and-down because I left it in the perfect spot, and that’s understanding how to play this golf course.”
Woods last played a full weekend at the Masters in 2022 when he struggled through pain and carded a pair of career-worst 78s only 14 months after a car crash that nearly resulted in doctors amputating his right leg.
While Woods appears fit enough to play this weekend, it will definitely be yet another ultimate test for a golfer who has had very few competitive reps in 2024.
“I’m tired,” said Woods. “I’ve been out for a while, competing, grinding. It’s been a long 23 holes, a long day.”
