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AUGUSTA, Ga. — One of the most enticing days in sports in a very long time dawns Thursday on the lush emerald fairways of Augusta National Golf Club. That is where, at precisely 10:34 a.m. local time, a man who thought he might lose his leg or never walk again will begin one of the most improbable quests in sports history.
Ranked 973rd in the world, Tiger Woods, 46, is playing in the Masters, barring an overnight setback of some sort. It will have been 408 days since he wrecked his SUV and shattered his right leg on Feb. 23, 2021. A year ago right now, he was in the midst of three consecutive months of lying in a hospital bed.
On Tuesday, he said he thinks he can win the tournament, that his golf game is fine, but walking the hills on the course will be his ultimate challenge.
What an incredible story this is, one for the ages, no matter how it plays out.
“It’s just truly amazing,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday. “I don’t even know how else to say it. I would have probably taken some pretty high odds a few weeks ago whether or not he would be here. But when you think about it, it really shouldn’t surprise us. He is one of the most determined, dedicated athletes that I have ever seen in my life.”
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No matter what you think of Tiger — love him or despise him — of all of his achievements and accomplishments, this is the most remarkable. How he recovered so quickly, how he says he is playing golf so well again, how he got himself ready to compete here this week, it’s the stuff of legend.
Woods already is widely regarded as one of the two greatest male golfers in the world (Jack Nicklaus is the other), and one of the best athletes to ever play any sport. But Thursday, just by showing up and playing in the first round…
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Source : yahoo
