Massive Tiger Woods development after 'unbelievable' Masters return

Tiger Woods' disappointment at his Masters collapse has been tempered by a massive rankings rise for the 15-time major winner.

The American - who had not played a professional tournament since November 2020 going into the Masters - came to Augusta ranked 973rd in the world.

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Woods captivated fans all around the world during one of the most extraordinary comebacks the sport had ever seen - making the weekend cut at Augusta just 14 months after a horror car crash that required multiple leg surgeries.

As could be expected for a man who admitted he was close to losing his right leg in the car accident, Woods was clearly hurting the longer the tournament wore on and his final two rounds were indicative of the pain he was playing through.

The five-time Masters winner's chances of claiming a record-equalling sixth green jacket ultimately fell by the wayside after the 46-year-old shot the worst two rounds of his career at Augusta over the weekend to finish at 13-over for the tournament in a tie for 47th.

However, the against-the-odds display saw Tiger jump a massive 228 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking - moving up to 745th in the world after his showing at the Masters.

Woods is unlikely to resume anything close to a full PGA Tour schedule in the future, but did say after Sunday's round that he intends to play in The Open Championship at St. Andrews in July.

That news left golf fans in a frenzy, with Woods thanking fans for the amazing reception he was given throughout the Masters tournament.

The 15-time major winner was given a standing ovation as he walked towards the 18th green and had a huge grin on his face as he headed to Augusta National’s clubhouse at the end of the tournament.

Tiger Woods praises 'unbelievable' support

“It was an unbelievable feeling to have the patrons and their support out there," he said.

"I was not exactly playing my best out there and to have the support, I don’t think words can really describe that given where I was and what my prospects were at that time.

“To end up here and play all four rounds, even a month ago I didn’t know if I could pull this off.

“It’s hard. I have those days where I just don’t want to do anything, it just hurts, but I have had a great team around me that are positive, that have motivated me and helped me around.

“There have been more tough days than easy days and I just have to work through it.

"I have put in the time and the hard part is the recovery sessions. Those ice baths really suck.”

In other rankings developments, Scottie Scheffler increased his grip on the top spot with his historic Masters victory.

Anointed as the new No.1 just last week, Scheffler now has a 180.17-point lead over Collin Morikawa, who moved backed to No.2 in the world with his solo fifth at the Masters.

Jon Rahm slipped a spot for the second consecutive week and is No.3 after a T27 at the Masters. Viktor Hovland is No.4, followed by Cameron Smith, who moved to a career-best No.5 despite a disappointing 73 on Sunday that left him in a tie for third.

Rory McIlroy tied the Sunday scoring record at the Masters with a 64 and his runner-up finish pushed him up two spots to No.7, just behind Patrick Cantlay. Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and Sam Burns round out the top 10.

with agencies

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