(TheRedWire.com) – Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” The sports world is full of amazing comeback stories. They inspire people to reach for the stars and remind everyone hard work, tenacity, and self-discipline can make ordinary people special. Golfer Tiger Woods has certainly endured more than his share of challenging physical ailments as he battles to come back and win this year’s Masters Tournament.
On Thursday, April 7, the Augusta National Golf Club will host the 86th Masters Tournament. It’s one of golf’s premier matches and coveted prizes. Some say the storied golf course is the most difficult in all of golf to win due to its extreme demands. After a crushing car accident in 2021, Tiger Woods didn’t expect to play in this year’s tournament. Yet, he’s been practicing the course. On Tuesday morning, April 5, the game’s most legendary player announced he would play, and the bookies rewarded his decision.
Tiger Woods Announces Major Comeback
In February 2021, first responders removed Woods from a vehicle after a horrifying single-car crash just north of Los Angeles. The accident nearly cost Tiger his life. He sustained severe damage to his right leg and foot, and at one point, doctors seriously considered amputation. Although he was bedridden for several months, Woods eventually got out of bed, built up his body and stamina, and started playing golf again.
Woods has previously won the Masters five times. He’ll tie Jack Nicklaus for the most wins on the world’s most daunting golf course if he wins it again. While the famed golf player was in town in the days leading up to the tournament, Tiger’s announcement he intended to play was unexpected. Every year, tournament officials hold a champions dinner on the Tuesday of Masters week, and Tiger was only committed to attending it, not necessarily playing golf.
On Tuesday morning, Tiger said he’s in and will pay. The Masters announced the famed golfer has a tee time set for 10:34 am. When a reporter asked if the golf star could win the tournament, Tiger emphatically stated he could emerge victorious. The golf legend added he could hit the ball without any problems. The question will be, can his body handle all the walking over several days and 72 holes of golf?
Still, Tiger said he wouldn’t show up to a tournament unless he believed he could win it. One day, when he truly thinks he can’t win anymore, the legendary golfer said he’d hang up his golf cleats. For now, he’s not there.
Overcoming The Odds
It’s not the first time Tiger overcame injuries to play in a major tournament. Unfortunately, he has a storied injury history:
In 1994, Woods had two surgeries to remove two benign tumors and won the biggest comeback victory in US amateur golf history.
- In December 2003, he underwent a benign cyst surgery in his left knee and came back to win the 2003 Buick Invitational.
- In 2003, Tiger suffered a severe muscle injury in his right shoulder. He fought through the pain and won the World Golf Championships-American Express.
- In 2007, the golfer ruptured the ACL in his left knee. He won five of the next six golf tournaments without surgery while fighting through the pain.
Fourteen more times, Woods suffered injuries to his knees, neck, and back. Some involved severe injuries, and he played his way to success each time.
Despite Tiger Woods’s challenges in this year’s tournament, he’s the most bet-on golfer to win this year’s tournament.
Stay tuned. It could be a game with an epic storyline.
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