AUGUSTA, Ga. — No player figures to be affected more adversely by the opening-round Masters weather delay on Thursday at Augusta National than Tiger Woods.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms forced tournament officials to delay play by two-and-a-half hours and, as of 9 a.m., the tournament was scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.
The first tee time originally scheduled was for 8 a.m.
Woods is battling numerous physical ailments, including his right leg that was badly injured in his 2021 car crash.
His right ankle has been fused surgically and he has also had issues with plantar fasciitis related to the injury and had a history of back problems with his back also surgically fused.
His originally scheduled tee time of 1:24 p.m. has been pushed to 3:54 p.m., meaning there’s no way he’ll get his entire 18-hole first round in. That means Woods will have to play more than 18 holes of his second round on Friday, which could be taxing on his leg and back.
Woods has played only three full-field tournaments in the past two years and finished only one of them, the 2023 Genesis Invitational.
He made the cut at the 2023 Masters and was forced to withdraw due to injury while facing poor, cold conditions for Saturday’s third round that resulted in play being suspended.
On Tuesday, when asked about his health, Woods said, “I ache every day. And I prefer it warm and humid and hot. And I know we’re going to get some thunderstorms. So at least it will be hot. It won’t be like last year.”
It won’t be cold on Friday for the second round, with temperatures forecast in the high 70s, but it’s supposed to be very windy.
The rest of the week, however, looks very good with a high of 83 expected for Sunday’s final round.
We’ll see if Woods gets to Sunday. He’s made 23 consecutive cuts at the Masters and, if he makes it to 24 by Friday, he’ll break the tournament record.