Rory McIlroy insists only Tiger Woods’ physical limitations will prevent him from winning a sixth Masters at Augusta this week.
The 47-year-old produced the golf’s greatest comeback of all-time when he returned from a career-threatening injury to win the tournament four years ago.
Fitness issues, in part linked to the serious car crash he was involved in back in 2021, have again reduced his participation but, according to his great friend McIlroy, he still retains much of the magic that renders him Augusta’s star attraction.
‘You watch him on the range and you watch him hit chips and putts, and he’s got all the aspects of the game that you need to succeed around this place. It’s just the toll it takes on his body to compete over 72 holes,’ said the current world No.2 at his pre-tournament press conference.
‘He [Tiger] looks good. If he didn’t have to walk up these hills and have all of that, I’d say he’d be one of the favourites.
‘I mean, he’s got all of the shots. It’s just that physical limitation of walking 72 holes, especially on a golf course as hilly as this, but we all know we never count Tiger out and he can do incredible things.’
Woods, himself, was a little more circumspect having 12 months ago claimed he was still capable of keeping pace with his younger adversaries.
‘Last year I didn’t know if I was going to play again at that time,’ Woods said. ‘For some reason everything kind of came together and I pushed it a little bit and I was able to make the cut, which was nice.
‘I didn’t win the tournament, but for me to be able to come back and play was a small victory in itself. I don’t know how many more I have in me. I’m able to appreciate the time that I have here and cherish the memories.
‘[My] mobility, it’s not where I would like it, but I’ve said to you guys before, I’m very lucky to have this leg. Yes, it has been altered and there’s some hardware in there, but it’s still mine. It has been tough and will always be tough.’
‘The ability and endurance of what my leg will do going forward will never be the same,” Woods, who hasn’t played competitively since February, added.
“I understand that. That’s why I can’t prepare and play as many tournaments as I like, but that’s my future, and that’s okay. I’m okay with that.
‘I think my game is better than it was last year at this particular time. I think my endurance is better. But it aches a little bit more than it did last year just because at that particular time when I came back, I really had not pushed it that often.
‘I just have to be cognizant of how much I can push it. I can hit a lot of shots but the difficulty for me is going to be the walking going forward. It is what it is. I wish it could be easier.’
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