When the 86th edition of the Masters begins on Thursday at Augusta National, Tiger Woods will officially be back. During a press conference on Tuesday, the 46-year-old told reporters that he intends on competing for a green jacket this week, just 14 months after nearly losing his right leg in a serious car accident.
The timing of Woods' return couldn't be any better for the game, as this April marks the 25th anniversary of his first Masters win, in which he shot a record 18-under par 270 over four rounds. Although he's walking with a limp, Woods is prepared to play through pain, and believes that he can win a record-tying sixth green jacket. No matter how he performs, all eyes will be on Woods.
"God knows how Tiger is going to react, how his body will react. And I'd think, 'He's an athlete, a world-class athlete. This is someone who understands and knows his body,'" JR said during the JR SportBrief show on Tuesday. "I'm sure he's kind of been through this already, ramping up to the perfect moment just so he can go out onto the course at Augusta and compete... All you've got to do is show up and compete. You don't have to qualify for anything...
"Tiger is going to go out there and go for the jugular. He's not showing up for a photo-op, an inspirational story, to just to say, 'Hey guys, I can walk'... He's showing up to try to win the Masters. And if he's capable, if he's able, if he does, that'd be one hell of a story. Tiger Woods is big-time... Tiger Woods is still someone synonymous with golf, across the globe. He's still box office..."
JR's complete thoughts on Woods' return at the Masters can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.