The legendary golfer, renowned for his remarkable comebacks and mastery on the course, suffered a shocking meltdown at the Masters on Saturday, recording his worst opening nine ever at Augusta National. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Woods began the day with a reasonable seven-shot deficit but quickly unraveled, posting a front-nine 42 that effectively snuffed out any remaining hopes of contention.
Any pretense of competition Woods harbored was absent as he grappled with the course, his score ballooning to a 10-over 82 by the end of the day – a career low at a major for the five-time Masters champion. It was a round rife with missteps; drives found the woods and bunkers as Woods uncharacteristically missed the mark across Augusta's challenging terrain. The Denver Post reported that Woods himself admitted, “I didn’t have a very good warm-up session, and I kept it going all day today,”
On Friday, the golf icon had battled through a marathon of 23 holes, managing to persevere through the blustery conditions to cut for a record 24th consecutive time at the Masters. Despite only playing 24 holes of competitive golf this year prior to this tournament, Woods showed glimpses of his former poise, coming into Saturday's fateful round in the top 10 for putting this week. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Woods reflected on his longevity the previous night, saying, "I’ve been able to play here since I was 19 years old... It’s one of the honors I don’t take lightly, being able to compete. The years I have missed, I wish I was able to play because there’s such an aura and mystique about playing this golf course that I don’t think that — unless you have played and competed here, you probably don’t really appreciate."
But honor was distant as Woods' game disassembled, struggling continued with a series of bogeys and double-bogeys that saw him plummet to the bottom of the leaderboard. His performance on the back nine was wrought with errors; drives continued veering off course, and his short game there was anything but sure-footed. As per the Denver Post, playing partner Tyrell Hatton empathized with Woods, acknowledging the difficulty of the greens: “but also like, putts that he had, the greens are so fast out there. You guys, you don’t realize, even a 2 1/2-foot putt is just brutal. They’ve got so much turn. You start a centimeter outside of your start line and it’s going to miss. Then depending on the pace you’ve hit it at, who knows how far away it’s going to finish up.”
The round leaves Woods entering Sunday's 100th round at the Masters with little more than personal pride to play for, as the leaders vie for the green jacket out of Woods' reach. Despite the setback, Woods assured, "My team will get me ready," in a statement obtained by the Denver Post, determined to face the final day with resolve, however distant from contention he may be.
