Tiger Woods has not appeared in a golf tournament on the PGA Tour since early February, but the golfer may be getting ready to return for the Masters after playing 18 holes at Augusta National on Tuesday a week ahead of the major championship.
--UPDATE: Tiger Woods will play the Masters.
According to ESPN.com, Woods was at Augusta and played a round of practice golf, but there has been no update on his official status for the Masters tournament next week. Woods last played in February at the Farmers Insurance Open, but he withdrew from that tournament and later announced he would sit out of competitive play for a time. Woods said he was going to work on his game and get healthy and he may feel he is ready to return.
ESPN reports that Woods played with two members of the club and his caddie was also with him while he played his practice round. Woods has the ability to enter the tournament without dealing with committing now since he is an "invited player" and that could give him time to decide about playing. Woods did not play in the Honda Classic or the Arnold Palmer Invitational and he previously stated that when he was "ready I'll be back."
Woods dealt with back surgery last year and he has not played much in that time and when he has played, the results have not been great. Woods missed the Masters in 2014 and that was the first time in two decades that he did not participate in the major at Augusta National. Woods has won the Masters four times in his career, but has not done so in nearly a decade.
"Tiger clearly is working hard and he will advise as to when he is ready to play competitively," said Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent, in an email, according to ESPN.
