Tiger Woods Arrives At Augusta, Practicing For The Masters Four Days Before It Begins

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Let's face it: golf is better when Tiger Woods is playing. And Sunday, when some PGA players were competing for the Valero Texas Open championship, Woods showed up at Augusta to get ready for The Masters.

Sure, no one needs practice at Augusta less than Tiger Woods. He probably can visualize the entire course with eyes closed. He's probably hit every shot possible on the course.

Tiger Woods of the United States ride is a golf cart in the practice area prior to the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 02, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia.

Tiger Woods of the United States ride is a golf cart in the practice area prior to the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 02, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

But given his recent health struggles, it's good to see him on the course. And, so far, he looks pretty good.

You might be thinking, "golf talk always revolves around Tiger Woods and I'm sick of it."

I hear you, fun-hater. But clearly there is a massive appetite. Hell, someone posted a picture on Twitter of his plane landing in Georgia.

Tiger Woods looks happy and ready to go for The Masters

Of course, given Woods' history with injury, you never know if he's going to be able to tee it up in a given week. Even for Masters week. But he was all smiles on Sunday.

And, why wouldn't he be? Woods has won th green jacket five times, including an incredibly emotional victory in 2019 as a 44-year-old. That win came 22 years after his first Masters victory in 1997 -- a 12-shot victory for his first-ever major tournament victory.

Last year, Tiger hadn't played competitive golf in over a year but made a miraculously recovery in time to play Augusta. And he even managed to make the cut, though he finished 47th.

Since last year's Masters, Woods has only played three PGA events. He withdrew from last year's PGA Championship after making the cut and then got cut at The Open Championship.

He hadn't played since The Open in mid-July but returned for this year's Genesis Invitational, a tournament he hosts. He made the cut and finished tied for 45th. And he made headlines with an excellent practical joke played on Justin Thomas.

So, how much juice does Tiger have for this year's Masters? Obviously, he's not the player he once was. But he's hard to count out at Augusta National.

He hasn't missed the cut at The Masters since 1996. That's 22 consecutive cuts in Masters he has played.

Can he do it again?

I'm not betting against him.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.