At the Masters, despite the bleak future outlook, Tiger Woods remains optimistic

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The red color of his shirt was the only reminder of Sunday’s many Masters performances. It was roughly 1:30 p.m. EST at Augusta National Golf Club, and the eventual winner, Scottie Scheffler, still had an hour left before the start of the final round.

But here was Tiger Woods, who was accustomed to playing late on Sunday afternoons, and he finished the day with a 5-over-par 77, good for last place amongst the 60 players who made it through 36 holes.

On Saturday, the five-time Masters winner – who has been scuffling with back pain – shot 82 in his worst round in 26 appearances in the first golf tournament of the 12 months. Still, he was determined to complete the tournament. Only Woods could draw such an enormous gallery where customers didn’t come to look at him fight for the green jacket, but only to rejoice who he was when he was the best golfer in the world.

As he climbed the 18th hole on Sunday, fans crowded around the green, creating an amphitheater for what could be the great player’s last appearance on that grand stage.

The 15-time major winner has never looked worse in his injury-riddled profession. Woods hit just eight greens in Saturday’s third round, en path to two double bogeys, eight bogeys and two birdies. It was similar on Sunday. After making a birdie on the par 5 second hole, he scored six overs over the next 16 holes and had only one birdie in the round.

Still, he called the week a hit, showing defiance and optimism about the profession of a player with bleak future prospects.

“It was a good week all around,” he said. “I believe coming here after not playing a full tournament in an extended time, it was an excellent fight on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, yesterday not every little thing went as I wanted. “

Woods is set, if perhaps a bit delusional, to imagine he still has what it takes beyond 72 holes to win a significant championship or any tournament. But few athletes in any sport have shown as much commitment as he did to overcoming adversity and returning to the winner’s circle.

On Sunday morning, Woods woke up at 3:45 a.m. to undergo treatments to organize his body for the 9:35 a.m. game. Where he once set the standard for excellence on the golf course, causing players to tremble in fear in his presence, now players almost pity him despite the fact that they worship him as a god in sports.

“I don’t think anyone wants to catch Tiger at his best,” said Neal Shipley, a 23-year-old amateur who played with Woods on Sunday. “Nobody can win in the event that they play their best. I’m definitely rooting for him and wishing him good golf shots. I actually appreciate all the work he’s doing to organize his body to perform here. He really puts in the effort and puts in a variety of effort to be here for everybody.

Woods will inform you how hard he works. It is his nature to each do work and speak about it. Currently, he trains greater than plays golf. On Sunday afternoon, he repeated his mantra: “Keep the engine moving, keep the body moving, keep getting stronger, keep progressing.”

But what’s going to all this work do to his future as a serious contender for major championships?

Going into the Masters, many in the golfing world hoped Woods’ body could withstand the hills of Augusta National for 4 days. On Sunday afternoon, there was a sigh of relief on the faces of many in the gallery when he entered the 18th hole. There was also relief on his face. He couldn’t be satisfied along with his play, but the vicissitudes of life taught the 48-year-old to be thankful for more modest successes, corresponding to a day without pain or just ending a tournament.

By the time Woods finished signing his scorecard, Woods was already taking a look at the remainder of this 12 months’s major championship schedule. The PGA Championship shall be held in May at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2000 at Valhalla, Woods defeated Bob May in a three-hole playoff to win his second consecutive PGA Championship. This was Woods, who was in the strategy of winning 4 straight major championships.

He cannot be that player again and he knows it, but that doesn’t suggest he is not determined to get one other shot at the championship.