Tiger Woods still capable of winning a sixth Masters ‘if everything comes together’

The American’s schedule has been limited since he suffered a catalogue of serious injuries in a car crash in 2021

Woods returned to action following last year’s tournament at the Hero World Challenge in December, completing all 72 holes in the Bahamas, but was forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February in California because of illness on the seventh hole of the second round.

He did not play in March’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he has won eight times, or the Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s flagship event, which he has triumphed in twice.

When asked what he could achieve against that backdrop, Woods said: “If everything comes together, I think I can get one more,” adding with a smile: “Do I need to describe that any more than that, or are we good?”

In response to a question about the Genesis Invitational withdrawal, Woods added: “I wasn’t ready to play. My body wasn’t ready, my game wasn’t ready.

“I thought that when I was at [the Hero World Challenge], once a month would be a really nice rhythm.

“It hasn’t worked out that way. But now we have major championships every month from here through July. So now the once a month hopefully kicks in.”

Woods tees off in his first round at 18:24 BST on Thursday, playing alongside Australian Jason Day and American Max Homa.