Tiger Woods shows off new skills after Masters practice
Tiger Woods smiles during a practice session ahead of the 2024 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, on April 9, 2024.
Tiger Woods showed off new skills after a practice round on Tuesday ahead of this week’s Masters, one of golf’s most important tournaments. The winner of Five -Time Masters returned to the National Golf Club Augustus in Georgia and returned with a magnificent ambition to get another desired green jacket.
But he had to do what he had rarely in the past four years, and was completed by a 72 -month event. He showed there was still plenty of life in the old dog Tuesday when the 48-year-old heard the pleas of a loud fan who asked Woods to hit him with a golf ball after he finished his practice round.
The fan, identified as Matt Agonis, as reported by Channel 2 Action News, said: “Tiger! I’m open!
Agonis added: “We were just sitting there and it was quiet, and then I looked at him and thought, ‘Hey, why not?’
“I yelled at him and he kind of smiled at me and turned around, and that’s when it hit me.”
Agonis became inwardly excited, thinking to himself: ‘Oh my God, he’s going to do it.’
Woods then threw the ball to him with quarterback accuracy. Agonis said he moved with little more than a pinch of movement, but felt momentary discomfort as the blow landed on his arm.
“He shot me,” Agonis said. “I don’t know because everybody was around, but I just jumped off.
“He hit my hand first, but I didn’t catch it the first time and it bounced off him, so it was like a double effort.”
He added that Woods has a “fast throw” and that his “arm was throbbing a little bit.”
Agonis concluded by noting that Tiger “has a good arm.”
Woods has been aiming high this week, telling reporters at a press conference on Tuesday that he believes another Masters victory is within his sights. “If everything goes well, I think I can win another one,” Woods said, drawing a chuckle or two from attendees.
If he makes the cut and survives until the four-day event weekend, he’ll set a new Masters record of 24 consecutive tournaments, matching the 23 victories held by Fred Couples and Gary Player in 2023. “Consistency” and “longevity” are key to that durability, Woods said.
“And that’s understanding how to play this golf course. That’s one of the reasons why 50- and 60-year-old players have been able to qualify here and 40- to 55-year-olds have won events, simply by understanding how to play. »
Woods has a 100% chance of winning the Masters, according to BetMGM, but Couples said this week that he could hang in there and win the Masters despite his injury history.
“I don’t think he’s even thinking about qualifying,” Couples said, according to the PGA Tour’s official website. “Can he win here? Yes, definitely.”
After playing half a practice round with Woods and Justin Thomas on Tuesday, Couples offered an insider’s view of how Woods is doing at Augusta. “I just watched him play nine holes, and nine holes is only nine holes on Tuesday, but he never makes a mistake,” Cupples said.
“But the idea of going back — I think he would laugh at it because that’s not what he’s here for; he’s here to win. “He comes here to play really hard…he hits it really well.”
The Masters starts Thursday and will be televised on ESPN and CBS.
Alan Dawson covers combat sports, UFC and golf for Heavy.com. He is a credentialed Las Vegas-based reporter, MMA Journalists Association member, a 4-time Boxing Writers Association of America award winner and International Boxing Hall of Fame voter. More about Alan Dawson
