After a brief return over the winter, his full PGA Tour comeback was cut short when he had to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February because of illness. Earlier this month, he returned to the course, playing in the Seminole Pro-Member alongside Rory McIlroy and Tom Brady. Recently, he played a practice round at Augusta National, hinting at a possible return to try and win a sixth Green Jacket.

The five-time Masters and 15-time major championship winner has been aiming to play at this year’s tournament in Augusta. To prepare, he has reportedly been hitting the gym at 4am to put himself in the best position possible. Former PGA Tour player Brandel Chamblee said in November that Woods’ rivals had received messages from him showing his determination to get back to his best this year. According to the Golf Channel pundit, Woods had texted several stars in the early hours, around 4am, to share his progress and show how hard he’s working to get back to the top.

According to The Mirror US, Woods’ text message read: “I’m in the gym. What are you doing to get better? ” After admitting to being a bit rusty after not playing since 2023, Tigers is already warming up for the big game at Augusta course beside top players like Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and McIlroy. After some enthusiasts monitored his flights to Augusta, the word from Sports Illustrated is that he played with club chairman Fred Ridley and Justin Thomas.

It seems Woods is keen to compete, even if it’s only his second game of the year. Despite his slim chances of clinching a sixth Masters title, this tournament gives him the chance to outdo tallies of legends Gary Player and Fred Couples for making the cut most times consecutively.

Having made the cut for every tournament since 1997 when he won his first Green Jacket, Woods, who has only participated once on tour this year, still holds hope that he can play the rest of the year.

“Once a month seems reasonable. It gives me a couple of weeks to recover and a week to tune up. Maybe I can get into the rhythm. My ankle doesn’t hurt anymore – the bones aren’t rubbing anymore. But then again it’s different – other parts of my body have to take the brunt of it, just like my back is fused, and so other parts of my body have taken the brunt of that.”