Tiger Woods sent golf Twitter into meltdown on Sunday night, as he was pictured on the range at Augusta National before heading out onto the course for a practice round. It was obviously fantastic to see the five-time Green Jacket winner out in a competitive environment, but some couldn't help but notice something different about Tiger...
Hitting golf balls out on the range, eagle-eyed viewers noticed that Tiger was wearing a pair of FootJoy Premiere Series Packard shoes , instead of his usual Nike. Although it is unclear as to why Tiger was wearing them, it is possibly down to the injury he sustained in the serious car crash back in February 2021.
After the accident, Tiger revealed that he came close to having his right leg amputated. However, just 14 months on, he has made a miraculously recovery, with the possibility of a Masters appearance looking more and more likely each day.
Back in February, Tiger admitted: “I can still play, but I’m in a cart. Being a weekend warrior is easy, that’s not that hard. Hit your ball, hop in a cart, ride, barely step out of the cart, grab your club and hit the next one. The longest walk you have is probably from, what, the cart to the green and back.
"I can do that, that’s not that hard, but walking a golf course, that’s a totally different deal. Then walking out here for days on end, long days. Don’t forget when my back was bad, when we had rain delays and had to reactivate everything and go back out there again. I’ve still got that issue, too. I’ve got a long way to go.”
The FootJoy Premiere Series Packard's on the range
However, just six weeks after calling himself a "weekend warrior," the 15-time Major winner has made a serious recovery and managed to play a practice round on Tuesday with his son, Charlie, and close friend, Justin Thomas.
What's more, a source on the ground at Augusta National gave a positive account to ESPN, stating: "He played every one of them (18 holes). He looked good to me."
After flying back on the Wednesday, Tiger the posted on Twitter that: "I will be heading up to Augusta today (Sunday) to continue my preparation and practice. It will be a game-time decision on whether I compete. Congratulations to 16-year-old Anna Davis on an amazing win at the @anwagolf and good luck to all the kids in the @DriveChipPutt."
Following Tiger being spotted at Augusta National with non-Nike shoes, the brand released a statement to Michael Collins, also known as the ESPN Caddie, which read: "Like golf fans around the world, we are delighted to see Tiger back on the course. He is an incredible athlete, and it is phenomenal to see him returning to the game at this level. His story continues to transcend sport and inspire us all. As he continues his return, we will work with him to meet his new needs."
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