TIGER WOODS RETAINS hope that he will play at the Masters despite concerns over his fitness.
The 14-time Major winner, who has not played since pulling out of the Dubai Desert Classic in February with back pain, is a significant doubt for next month’s tournament.
But the 41-year-old, a four-time winner of the green jacket, is eager to be there.
“God I hope so,” Woods told ‘Good Morning America’ when asked if he would be able to play at Augusta.
“I’m trying to get back and play. I love that event. It’s meant so much to me in my life.
“It was the first major that I ever played, back in ’95 as a college student. It has so much history and meaning to me that I’d love to get back.
“I need to get back physically. The mind is sharp, I just need to get the body willing to do it. That’s the hard part, getting the prep time in and I haven’t been able to get as much prep time in.
“I haven’t been able to train like I used to, practice like I used to, so it’s been harder. My priorities have changed a lot, my kids now dominate my life and I think that’s a good thing.”
In his attempt to regain the form that once made him the sport’s dominant force, Woods underwent multiple back surgeries at the end of 2015 and missed more than a year of action before playing the 2016 Hero World Challenge.
He finished 15th there among a small field and has since missed the cut and withdrawn from his two other starts.
If Woods should tee it up in Georgia, it would be a fitting way to mark 20 years since he won his first major there, finishing 12 shots clear of his nearest rival.
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