Tiger Woods endured an extremely difficult moving day at Augusta National on Saturday, after the five-time Masters champion carded a 10-over-par 82 in his third round
Tiger Woods has admitted his golf game is ‘rusty’ on the back of shooting his worst ever 18-hole score at a major championship in the third round at the Masters on Sunday.
Woods made history for a good reason on Friday, setting a record with his 24th consecutive Masters. But just 24 hours later, the five-time major champion posted the worst performance of his career and set an unwanted record. After starting the day of the tournament with a 1-over-par lead, the nine PGA Tour winners were in chaos on Saturday, starting with three pars before recording three bogeys, two double bogeys and one birdie over the next six holes. .
The back nine was much the same. He birdied the par-5 13th, but five more bogeys padded his scorecard, finishing with a 10-over 82. Woods’ struggles have been well-documented in recent years, as he continued to struggle to manage his health after suffering a career-threatening car accident in 2021.
The result will be the 15-time major champion’s second start of the season in two years and his eighth on the PGA Tour, having first returned at the 2022 Masters. It’s no surprise that Woods didn’t have a stellar performance due to lack of playing time, and he addressed it in Saturday’s postgame round.
“He realized his game was rusty,” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t play a lot, especially competitively, and that’s something you can’t replicate at home. Especially that hill, that shot, the golf course was tough, at least for me. Woods showed glimpses of his old self on the first and second days, securing his spot for the weekend.
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In previous performances, Woods was visibly in pain during competitions and often limped during steps. The lameness in question went unnoticed on Thursday and Friday, but Saturday’s walk posed an even tougher test for the 48-year-old.
The American played 18 holes better than last season after an ankle injury forced him to withdraw from the year’s first major in 2023 before the third round. And although the problem has since been corrected through surgery, Woods continues to struggle with other injuries.
“Well, my ankle doesn’t hurt anymore,” he said before the tournament. It’s empty. This doesn’t lead to anything. that’s ok. Now other parts of my body must also be affected by it. He added with a smile: i am sick. No, I get sick every day. And I prefer warm, humid places. And I know there will be storms. So at least it will be warm. It won’t be like last year. »
