Official Press Conference Confidence
Admits "Leg Pain" After Traffic Accident
Round 1 on the 6th with Hoblan and Shopli
Tiger Woods (USA) raised the atmosphere ahead of his participation in the season's first major tournament, the Masters, saying, "My performance has improved compared to last year."
At the official Masters press conference held on the 5th at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, USA, Woods revealed that both his performance and stamina have improved compared to last year. However, he admitted that his leg condition is not fully recovered, causing more pain than last year, and his mobility walking the course has decreased.
He suffered a severe leg injury in a traffic accident in February 2021, which led him to miss last year's US Open and fail to make the cut at The Open, preventing him from competing properly. This Masters marks his challenge for victory after four years since 2019. Woods has been strong on this stage, having won 5 of his 15 major titles at the Masters.
He expressed confidence, saying, "I haven't played in many tournaments recently, but if I can participate in any one tournament, it would be this course," adding, "Because I know this course." He continued, "No one can say whether I will be a threat to other players or not," and added, "In 2019, many did not think I was a threat, but I still had a good result."
Woods cited his "tenacious stubbornness" as the driving force behind overcoming previous back injuries and the traffic accident. He added, "I believe in working hard and getting results accordingly," and said, "It is not easy to overcome multiple surgeries, but I had the passion to overcome and never lost the belief that I could do it."
Born in 1975, Woods also accepted the reality that his participation in the Champions Tour for players aged 50 and over is approaching. He smiled, saying, "In three more years, I can use a cart (on the Champions Tour)," and "I know more players on the Champions Tour than on the regular tour."
Woods will start the first round of this year’s Masters on the 6th at 11:18 PM, alongside Viktor Hovland (Norway) and Xander Schauffele (USA).
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