W.Whether he’s standing on one leg with various body parts failing or in the middle of a full blown sex scandal, something about the Masters brings out the best in the 15-time major champion.
Woods came to Georgia in zero form this year after falling to 33 in the world after his extraordinary, redeeming fifth win here last year that ended an eleven year wait for his 15th major.
His back gave him sorrow. Once again. So much so that Jack Nicklaus reported yesterday before the start of the game that the last time he caught up with Woods six weeks ago he “could barely run his back, killed him so badly”.
But here it is, following Augusta’s fairways like it was in 1997. A bogey-free opening round of 68 – a career-best opening round at the Masters, and one he actually seemed to be enjoying for a change – made him an early front runner.
The big question is: will his back hold?
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