Tiger Woods is yet to confirm his participation in the 2024 Masters. The ace golfer last played a competitive event in early February, when he teed up at the Genesis Invitational. The 48-year-old withdrew from the event citing ‘health issues,’ which raised concerns over his participation in the Masters.

A week ahead of the major championship tee-off, Notah Begay III has come out with fresh insight into Tiger Woods’ Masters preparation. The former PGA Tour golfer, who is good friends with Woods, said that the five-time Masters champion “has been trying to find a way to recover” for the past couple of months. He said that the latter is “trying to formulate a strategy and approach” to play the big event.

However, Begay III confirmed that the ace golfer has not fully recovered yet. He stated that Woods has got “zero mobility” in his left ankle and has “low-back challenges.” He added that the 15-time major winner walking the 72 holes at Augusta National remains doubtful.

Revealing details on Tiger Woods’ Masters preparation, Notah Begay III said, as quoted by Golfweek:

“For the past couple months, he (Tiger) has been trying to find a way to recover. He can play the golf. We always knew the question was going to be ‘Can he walk the 72 holes?’ That’s still up in the air. But can he recover, from one round to the next? That’s the biggest question that I really don’t know and he’s not going to know either until he gets out there and figures out whether the way he’s prepared for this year’s Masters is going to work for him.
He’s trying to formulate a strategy and approach that he can work within given the constraints that he’s presented with. And he’s got some constraints. He’s got zero mobility in that left ankle and really has low-back challenges now, which he knew he was going to have.”
It is pertinent to note that Woods and his son Charlie played in the junior golf tournament hosted by Begay last December. During the event, Woods reportedly told Begay that he was finding it tough to walk. Notably, the ace golfer was seen struggling on the greens at the Genesis Invitational before he pulled out of the competition.

Tiger Woods touches down in Augusta ahead of Masters

Notably, Tiger Woods was at the Augusta National last week. Radaratlas2, a flight-tracking account on X (formerly Twitter), claimed that a Gulfstream G550 jet owned by Woods landed in Augusta, Georgia on Sunday, March 31. Reports later claimed that the ace golfer arrived at Augusta National and did some free practice with club chairman Fred Ridley and Justin Thomas.

Woods’ reported spotting at the Masters host course has since re-ignited claims of his participation in the event. It is pertinent to note that the 48-year-old golfer withdrew from the 2023 Masters after 54 holes due to reaggravating plantar fasciitis. He hasn’t played a major since.

Despite not confirming his participation in the 2024 Masters, Tiger Woods remains a big name on the major championship field. As of Wednesday, April 3, Woods is part of the event. The five-time green jacket winner has +10,000 odds in the competition, according to BetMGM.