Tiger Woods completes 72 holes at Masters, encouraged for next three majors

Tiger Woods completed 72 holes at this year’s Masters Tournament. Although the score wasn’t ideal, there are reasons for optimism heading into the season’s next three major championships.

After opening in rounds of 73-72 to set a Masters record with his 24th consecutive made cut at Augusta National, Woods stumbled to rounds of 82-77 on the weekend, as Augusta’s hilly terrain understandably caught up with the 48-year-old, who has undergone a myriad of surgeries in recent years.

Throughout Saturday’s third round, there was speculation on the Masters.com Featured Groups stream as to whether Woods could physically complete the tournament. It wasn’t easy, but he completed the walk, with Sunday marking his 100th competitive round at Augusta National.

Woods professed last fall an intention to play once a month on TOUR this season. He competed at The Genesis Invitational in February (withdrawing on the seventh hole of his second round due to the flu), but he didn’t compete in March, saying this week that he wasn’t physically ready. With the PGA Championship looming in mid-May, Woods indicated Sunday a focus on preparing for Valhalla Golf Club, where he memorably defeated Bob May in a 2000 playoff.

“I'm going to do my homework going forward at Pinehurst (U.S. Open), Valhalla and Troon (The Open), but that's kind of the game plan,” Woods said Sunday. “I heard there are some changes at the next couple sites. So got to get up there early and check them out.

“Just keep lifting, keep the motor going, keep the body moving, keep getting stronger, keep progressing. Hopefully the practice sessions will keep getting longer.”

Woods brought his son Charlie onto the driving range Sunday morning as his “swing coach,” a memory he will cherish forever. The two have paired together at the previous four PNC Championships, and Charlie Woods has displayed a natural affinity for the game. The younger Woods also recently won a Florida high school team championship with The Benjamin School and competed in a pre-qualifier for the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches in February.

Woods also shared a moment at the par-3 16th hole on Sunday with longtime CBS broadcaster Verne Lundquist, who is calling his 40th and final Masters and has voiced several memorable Woods calls through the years, including the “In your life, have you seen anything like that!” chip-in birdie from behind the 16th green in 2005, en route to a playoff victory over Chris DiMarco.

Woods started fast Sunday with a birdie at the par-5 second, but he bogeyed the third and made triple bogey at the par-4 fifth after a penalty off the tee. He made bogey on No. 6, but he closed with 11 pars in his final 12 holes, his only additional dropped shot coming at the par-5 15th, where his wedge shot flew past the green and he couldn’t get up and down.

“It doesn't take much to get out of position here,” Woods said Sunday. “Unfortunately, I got out of position a lot yesterday and a couple times today. It was a good week. It was a good week all around. I think that coming in here, not having played a full tournament in a very long time, it was a good fight on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, yesterday it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to.

“Today the round that I … the way that Tom (Kim, 6-under 66) is playing, I thought I had in my system. Unfortunately, I didn't produce it.”

After a WD during the third round of last year’s Masters, leading to ankle surgery shortly thereafter, Woods reached the finish line in 2024. A good week, it was.