Tiger Woods has not played in a PGA Tour event since walking away from Torrey Pines holding his sore back in early February. Now after nine weeks of working on his game, Woods is back in Augusta for The Masters.
Woods, a four-time champion at Augusta spoke to reporters with a smile and sense of humour Tuesday to address his recent hiatus and upcoming return to golf.
"I worked my a** off," Woods said of his time away from the Tour. "That's the easiest way to describe it. I worked hard. It was sun up to sun down."
Woods' decline in performance before his eventual leave of absence dropped him to number 111 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He said if he did not feel he was ready to compete he would have sat out this weekend's tournament.
"If I felt like I wasn't hitting the ball as well as I need to or even chipping or putting like I needed to," Woods said when asked about what could have kept him away from Augusta. "I had to have all facets of my game come around, and they all have."
Woods said he would have been playing this weekend even if it was not The Masters, but the timing seems perfect for him to find his stroke.
"I feel like my game is ready to compete at this highest level and I'm excited to be here," Woods said. "There's no other tournament in the world like this. To come back to a place that I've had so many great memories at and so many great times in my life is always special."
The camera will undoubtedly follow Woods as he competes in The Masters Par Three Contest on Wednesday and throughout the first two rounds as he tries to make the cut.
Woods has been paired with Jimmy Walker and Jamie Donaldson for the first two rounds.