Tiger Woods has confirmed he aims to play at The Masters this week.
The five-time winner of the famous green jacket hasn't played competitive golf since he suffered multiple serious injuries in a car crash in February of 2021.
However, Woods has been practicing at Augusta since late last week, and played a further nine on Monday with Justin Thomas and Fred Couples.
The 46-year old will also practice on Wednesday, and his expectation is that he'll be able to make the first tee on Thursday.
"As of right now, I feel like I am going to play," Woods told reporters, "as of right now.
"I'm going to play nine more holes tomorrow [Wednesday].
"My recovery has been good. I've been very excited about how I've recovered each and every day.
Tiger Woods believes he can win a sixth Green Jacket this week. #themasters pic.twitter.com/WHjD4BcOcx
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 5, 2022
"That's been the challenge. That's why I came up here and tested out for 27 holes - we played the Par 3 course, Charlie [son] couldn't help himself.
"So [I] was able to play 27 holes that day, and at home testing it. But it's the recovery - 'how am I going to get all the swelling out and recover for the next day'.
"My team has been fantastic, and worked very hard. So we've got another day of nine more holes, and then come game time."
Woods' has been grouped with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann for Thursday's first round.
It's quite the turnaround for the man who feared he'd lose his right leg following the horror smash last year. Back in November, Woods even dismissed talk of a return to full-time golf.
While (potentially) 72 holes at Augusta is not full-time, it is quite the undertaking for someone who questioned whether they'd walk again unaided.
Despite all that, Woods believes not only can he play this week - he can win.
"I can hit it just fine," he told reporters, "I don't have any qualms about what I can do physically from a golf standpoint.
"It's now walking is the hard part. This is normally not an easy walk to begin with. Now given the conditions that my leg is in, it gets even more difficult.
"You know, 72 holes is a long road, and it's going to be a tough challenge and a challenge that I'm up for."
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