Tiger Woods news leaves golf fans shattered in 26-year first at Masters

The worst fears of golf fans were realised on Sunday at the Masters as Tiger Woods announced his withdrawal ahead of the major's final day. Woods limped through a bogey-strewn start to his rain-halted third round on Saturday, sparking fears he wouldn't be able to complete the major at Augusta on Sunday.

And those fears came to fruition when Woods announced he was withdrawing before the final day of action, with a mountain to climb to complete all 72 holes due to the wild weather that has affected the tournament. The 47-year-old revealed he'd aggravated plantar fasciitis in his foot.

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"I am disappointed to have to WD (withdraw) this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis," he posted on Twitter shortly after organisers had announced his decision. "Thank you to the fans and to The Masters who have shown me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!"

It marks the second time in the past 12 months that Woods has been forced to withdraw from a major championship due to injury. In September last year he pulled out of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa after he had made a 9-over 79 in the third round - the first time he had withdrawn from a major during the tournament.

The 15-time major winner, who now plays a very limited schedule on the PGA Tour due to the car accident that causes him serious leg injuries, had speculated before the Masters that this might be his farewell to Augusta. "I don't know how many more I have in me," Woods said on Tuesday, "So just (have) to be able to appreciate the time I have here and cherish the memories."

The withdrawal marks the first time in Woods' career that he hasn't been able to complete all 72 holes of every tournament he has played at Augusta National as a professional - a streak which dated back to 1997. Woods is still dealing with the impact of severe leg injuries he suffered in car crash in 2021.

He made his return at last year's Masters, where he finished tied for 47th and spoke of walking 72 holes on the hilly layout as a victory of sorts. For the 47-year-old Woods, the weather-enforced changes meant he would have had to play 29 holes on Sunday in order to finish.

“I’ve always loved this golf course, and I love playing this event,” Woods said after his second round on Saturday. “Obviously I’ve missed a couple with some injuries, but I’ve always wanted to play here. I’ve loved it.”

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In November, Woods cited the plantar fasciitis in his right foot when he withdrew from the Hero World Challenge event in the Bahamas. He had managed to make the cut early on Saturday, playing in cold and wet conditions and limping at times, eventually making it into the final two rounds after the cut-line rose to three-over par 147.

By making the cut, Woods matched the Masters record of Fred Couples and Gary Player with 23 consecutive made cuts. But Woods, who hasn't missed a Masters cut since 1996 when he was playing as an amateur, made a dreadful start to his third round. Starting on the 10th hole, he made two bogeys before double bogeys on the par-5 15th and par-3 16th left him bottom of the leaderboard on 9-over overall.

In his previous start before the Masters, Woods finished tied for 45th at his PGA event at Riviera in February. Fans and commentators expressed their sadness for Woods on Sunday after his withdrawal from the Masters.

with agencies

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