LOS ANGELES ( Associated Press) – Tiger Woods felt well enough to play at the Riviera, his first tournament with the cut and without using a cart since the British Open in July. He is already thinking about Masters.
And yes, he still thinks he can win.
“If I didn’t think I could beat these guys, I wouldn’t have put myself out there,” Woods insisted Tuesday before the Genesis Invitational, which will feature 19 of the top 20 golfers in the world.
He knows he hasn’t won since October 2019 and, at 47, has more surgeries than major titles (15). Time is running out, but Sitara is not ready to accept it.
He is amazed at how long Tom Brady has lasted. He still remembers when John Elway retired with Denver because his body was not recovering as well as before. Golf is not a contact sport, but it is becoming a sport for youths. Only two of the top 10 are above 30 years of age. Rory McIlroy is the oldest at 33.
Woods can still play. The question is whether he can compete and win. He shares a record of 82 PGA Tour titles with Sam Snead, who was 67 when he made the cut at the PGA Championship.
Woods was a bit upset that he was persuaded to make the cut at last year’s Masters, his first tournament since a car crash in February 2021 where he broke bones in his foot and ankle.
“I’m out there to win. I don’t understand why making the cut is such a big deal,” Woods said. “If I enter a contest, it’s always to win.”
Woods had intended to compete in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in the first week of December, but as he ramped up his training, he suffered plantar fasciitis which prevented him from running.
For the rest of the year, Woods knows only that he will have a limited schedule of majors and a few other tournaments.
The end is near, but it will not come yet.
