Tiger Woods will be the main drawcard again in what may be his last Masters appearance

After injuries and a life threatening car crash, Tiger Woods isn’t the golfer who won 5 Masters titles any more but he remains the main drawcard in what might be his last Augusta appearance.

Tiger Woods tuned up for the Masters last week by hitting the ceremonial first shot at a new public golf course in West Palm Beach.

After a couple of lazy practice swings, Woods took his stance with an enthralled gallery watching on and flushed it.

He looked pretty chuffed with himself too as the ball sailed into the distance. Not bad for an old bloke, Woods seemed to suggest.

Afterwards, he posted an image of his follow through on social media. A rare public appearance by Woods was big news because the former world No. 1 has barely played this year, his lone start on the PGA Tour in February at the Genesis Invitational.

Tiger Woods during the final round of the The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Picture: Getty Images

He finished in a share of 45th at Riviera Country Club, but he was still the main drawcard. That tournament was his first since missing the cut at the Open Championship last year, the idea of walking 72 holes becoming more and more onerous for Woods as a result of the devastating injuries he suffered two years ago in a car crash.

Woods plays so little golf that every time he tees it up, it feels like a special occasion. A moment to savour. This week will be another of those occasions.

Woods has been scheduled for a media interview on Wednesday morning (AEDT) at Augusta National, which more or less confirms that the 15-time major winner will be having at least one more shot at the title he has won on five occasions.

The last of those five wins was arguably the most memorable - in 2019 when he won by a shot over Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka.

Later that year he underwent knee surgery to repair cartilage damage. At the end of 2020 he had surgery on his back for the fifth time.

In 2021, there was the car crash that almost ended his life. Still, he returned to play last year’s Masters as he remarkably made the cut and finished in 47th place, 23 shots behind winner Scottie Scheffler.

Woods can’t do what he once did. At the age of two, he was practising for two hours a day. His former coach Hank Haney in his book ‘The Big Miss’ waxed lyrical about Woods’ training regime.

Just reading it leaves you exhausted. Woods would rise at 6am and work out for two hours. After a shower and breakfast, he would hit the practice range for 90 minutes.

Woods looks on from the practice area prior to the 2023 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Picture: Getty Images

He would work on his putting for 30 minutes and then play nine holes or so. That would get him to midday. After lunch, they would return to work on his short game followed by another 90 minutes on the range.

He would then play another nine holes, spend an hour working on his shoulders and retire for dinner.

“Tiger respected practice,” Haney wrote.

“It was sort of his church, the place he made the sacrifices that would lead to success. He believed in the old-school ways, putting in time, taking a step backward to take two forward, putting his faith in the old (Ben) Hogan line about ‘digging it out of the dirt’.”

The practice range was also a place where he could psyche out his opponents. Get in their heads. Woods would step it up when he noticed a rival nearby. They would depart awe-struck and half the battle had been won.

At his best, he was as dominant as anyone in the game’s history. So dominant, at one point someone developed a website comparing him to God. Those days, however, are long gone. Woods has been ravaged by injury, is now ranked 995 in the world and making the cut would be an achievement.

Woods wouldn’t play unless he thought he could win. The thing is, in his prime he knew he could win. More often than not, he knew he would win.

Now, even his best days may not be enough.