Tiger Woods was paired with 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann for the first two rounds of the Masters in pairings released on Tuesday.
Woods on Tuesday said that he plans to play in the 86th Masters, making a epic return only 14 months after suffering severe right leg injuries in an automobile accident.
Woods spent three months in a hospital bed and more time in a wheelchair before graduating to crutches. He now thinks he can notonly walk the rolling Augusta National course for four rounds, but also give himself a chance to match Jack Nicklaus’ record of six Masters titles.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“I do,” Woods said when asked outright if he thought he could win.
Woods has always said he would not enter a tournament he did not think he could win.
The 15-time major champion is to tee off in his 24th Masters appearance at 10:34am today in the 14th of 31 groups and tee off tomorrow at 1:41pm in the third-to-last group of the day.
Oosthuizen, 39, last year finished second at the US Open and PGA Championship, while Niemann, 23, won his second PGA Tour title in February at the tournament hosted by Woods at Riviera in Los Angeles.
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