Tiger Woods playing the Masters again, his shirt as pink as the azaleas at Augusta National, would have been enough reason to celebrate Thursday.
It felt that way to him, too.
Woods twirled his club after good shots, and there were enough. He pumped his fist after his longest birdie putt. And then normalcy gave way to reality when he used his wedge as a walking stick for his once-battered and now weary legs for a final climb toward the 18th green.
Another par save for a 1-under 71, four shots behind Sungjae Im.
But this wasn’t just about a score. Woods was competing in a major, the first time in 508 days since a car crash some 14 month ago that shattered his right leg. That much was clear when asked if simply being able to play felt like a victory. His answer: “Yes.”
“If you would have seen how my leg looked to where it’s at now, the pictures — some of the guys know; they’ve seen the pictures — to see where I’ve been, to get from there to here, it was no easy task,” Woods said.
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