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2022 Masters: Why it’s near impossible not to cheer for Tiger Woods
By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Columnist
I haven’t always wanted Tiger Woods to win. Scratch that. There have been times when I was happy enough to see him lose.
Not through spite or for any good reason at all. Certainly not because of anything personal; I don’t know him. But there were times during Woods’ extraordinary heyday that revolutionized golf forever when it was easier to root for someone else.
While it was never anything short of incredible to see Woods doing his thing and dominating golf’s most devilish courses and finest players, occasionally it was human nature to want another player to have his moment in the sun, to see a fresh contender prevail.
Not anymore.
This current version of Woods, the greatest golfer who ever lived, is darn near impossible not to cheer for.
This is the human version, the flawed version, the one for whom every ache and pain is etched on his face and visible in his gait and who feels every single bit of 46 years old yet decided to turn up at the Masters anyway.
During a mixed but ultimately highly satisfying round Thursday that transfixed both Augusta National and a global audience, Woods was as fascinating as he has ever been. There were bits of everything, every part of his game, each segment of his history. Woods ended at 1-under and had 13 pars, but this was anything but ordinary.
Every now and then, Woods would look like his early-20s self, conjuring the spectacular, using physical force and mental dexterity to squeeze his way out of trouble or put himself in attack mode.
Then he would revert to reality, the intermittent inconsistency, some tee shots on which his body let him down, resembling the balance of a man who was in a serious and scary car accident 14 months ago and had searing back and knee problems long before that.
There were two Tigers playing in the Georgia sun. There was the guy the clock turned back for on occasion, when it all went smoothly. Such as with a gorgeous tee shot on the par-3 seventh that required only a tap-in birdie. Or on 13, the first of his typically favored par-5s that he played in true Tiger fashion. Or on 16 — of course 16 — where a clutch long putt took him under par.
Then there was the guy struggling his way around, feeling the pinch of nearly five hours on the course in what was his first competitive action since late 2020. The Augusta crowd was all-in for both versions.
The patrons screamed for Woods' trio of birdies, cheered for his collection of impressive par saves and felt for him after the pair of bogeys that he refused to let derail him.
His day had begun with a larger gathering of humanity watching his practice session than did any other group treading the actual course during the day. By the time Woods wandered from the clubhouse to the first tee and the throng parted, it was 40 deep. Everyone wanted to see this.
Solid and steady was the order of the day on the opening holes, as he parred his way through the opening five, a tricky collection that offered no one much scope for fireworks.
Clad in pink, Woods uncorked his first birdie on the sixth hole. He probably wanted to play within himself, but when he did unload on a handful of thundering drives, it was something to behold. He no longer has quite the same explosiveness off the tee, but it is still one heck of a swing, filled with force and style.
Woods these days is a physical specimen but a complicated one. Stiffness befalls him, and when the pace of play slowed around the turn, so too, temporarily, did his round.
Thursday rounds aren’t usually like this, dramatic and involved. If you were watching the broadcast and felt yourself willing the ball into the hole at times, you were not alone.
Ultimately, it was a job well done. Woods kept himself in contention and didn’t play his way out of the Masters like so many do on the opening day. Leader Cam Smith dropped a couple of late shots to slip to 4-under and give the chasing pack added incentive.
With Woods, sometimes the shot-making was so detailed, the tension so present, that you took your eye off the story. The reason he has all this support is not just what he has achieved but also what it took to get here.
Woods has battled demons. Infidelity led to the breakup of his marriage and public disgrace, and his car accident led most to believe he would never swing a club in a competitive setting again.
Yet here he was, getting out there, showing he can still compete at a level beyond the comprehension of most. Trying to generate a mind-blowing triumph because he knows no other way, perhaps not even realizing that simply by being here, he has already won.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider Newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
