Tiger Woods says he has learned from past mistakes of coming back from injury too soon. Which makes one part of a recent article on Tiger's recovery even more eyebrow-raising.
"While Woods said he is improving, the winner of 14 majors and 79 Tour events remains a long shot to play in the Masters in April, where he has won four green jackets," USA Today Sports reported.
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Until now, aside from a gambling site that listed odds on Tiger winning the Masters -- and even that has gone up from an opening 33-to-1 to 80-1 -- the talk about Woods' return centered on whether an appearance in 2016 was feasible.
Now, suddenly he's being mentioned as a possibility, however remote, for playing in the year's first major. That is a major turnaround in Woods' health.
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As I announced last week, I am starting to feel a lot better," Woods announced on his website. "I have been chipping and putting at home, and recently started hitting 9-irons. That's been so nice. After all, Florida is the Sunshine State.
"My son Charlie and I compete in just about everything and have three-hole chipping contests. The loser has to do push-ups. My short game feels pretty sharp."
Woods sounded much more somber in December at his own Hero World Challenge, in which he said, "there was no light at the end of the tunnel" regarding his return.
Somber has turned into guarded optimism.
"At the Hero, I wasn't feeling very good," Woods said later in a news conference outside of Houston. "I couldn't play with my kids. I wasn't able to throw and play catch with my son. These were the things I couldn't do. Can I do them now? Yeah. Am I sprinting back and forth with them? No, I can't keep up with them. They're out running and doing things I can't do. But I'm getting there. I'm able to participate more in their lives. Part of that is playing golf, and going out there chipping and putting with Charlie. Having him beat me. It's been tough at times but it's been a lot of fun."
Woods, however, also noted that he may have cost himself "years and months" coming back too soon, USA Today Sports added.
With the Masters only five weeks away, speculation is sure to increase, based on Woods' comments.
But his impatience is well-known, and talking about his improving health now may be more than just a coincidence about his intentions of going to Augusta in April.
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