Tiger Woods threw several clubs in frustration as he worked on his game “from sun-up to sundown” in order to be ready for his 20th appearance in the Masters.
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But the former World No1 also offered a rare glimpse of his softer side yesterday, confirming his two children would caddie for him during the traditional par-three contest he has not played since 2004.
Woods has started just two events in 2015, shooting a career-worst score of 82 to miss the cut in the Phoenix Open and withdrawing through injury after just 11 holes of the Farmers Insurance Open on February 5.
That led to the 14-time major winner taking a break from competition to get his game back in shape, during which time he dropped outside the world’s top 100 for the first time since September 1996, a slide which continued on Monday as he fell from 104th to 111th.
I’m playing in the Masters. Thanks for all the support. http://t.co/SYih4eSxUa
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 3, 2015
The 39-year-old has not won a major since the 2008 US Open and the last of his four Masters wins was a decade ago, but after 11 holes of practice on Monday he declared he was finally able to “compete to win a golf tournament”.
“I worked my a** off,” said Woods, who will tee off in tomorrow’s final group alongside Jamie Donaldson and Jimmy Walker. “That’s the easiest way to describe it. I worked hard.
“People would never understand how much work I put into it to come back and do this again. It was sun-up to sundown, and whenever I had free time.
“If the kids were asleep, I’d still be doing it, and then when they were in school, I’d still be doing it. So it was a lot of work.”
Asked if he had ever experienced a loss of hope, Woods added: “More frustration than anything else, because I knew what I could do and just wasn’t able to do it at the time.
“It would come in flashes. I would get in these modes where it would come for 10 minutes and I would just have it, just dialled in, and then I’d lose it for an hour; and then I’d get it back.
“There were times when there were a few clubs that flew, suddenly slipped out of my hand and travelled some pretty good distances, too. There were some frustrating moments, but I had to stick with it.”
Woods, who had hoped to return to action in the Arnold Palmer Invitational – a tournament he has won eight times – said winning remained his primary motivation despite appearing to have a more relaxed attitude since arriving at the course on Monday.
“It’s nice to be back and seeing some of my old friends out here and get back to competing again,” he added. “Whether I have blinders on or not, I don’t feel any different. I feel like I’m preparing to try and win the Masters.
“Competing is still the same. I’m trying to beat everybody out there. That hasn’t changed. I prepare to win and expect to go and do that.
“The only difference is that I won the Masters when Jordan (Spieth, runner-up in 2014) was still in diapers. That’s the difference, is that guys are now younger, a whole other generation of kids are coming out.”
@TigerWoods Is looking very in shape and cool around August!! What a bomb shell that would be to come back and take the green jacket
— Samm (@ItsSamm25) April 8, 2015
Rory McIlroy is among that generation of players who idolised Woods when they were growing up, with the world number one looking to join Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen in completing the career grand slam this week.
“I look back when I did it in 2000, I couldn’t ask for a better place to do it at other than St Andrews, the home of golf,” Woods added.
“And for Rory, you couldn’t ask for the other better place to do it, which is here at Augusta. It doesn’t get much better than that.
“He has that opportunity and he’s going to have that opportunity for decades to come. But I’m sure he’ll have many green jackets in his closet before it’s all said and done.”
