AUGUSTA, Georgia — Tiger Woods withdrew from the Masters before the third round restart due to injury on Sunday, ending his streak of completing all 72 holes of every tournament he has played at Augusta National as a professional.
It was announced about 90 minutes before kickoff that Woods, still reeling from the 2021 car crash that nearly cost him his right leg, had withdrawn. He limped during practice rounds earlier in the week and again during the first and second rounds, but the limping became more severe as the weather turned bad.
“I'm disappointed to have to WD this morning because my plantar fasciitis is getting worse,” Woods said on Twitter. “Thanks to the fans and (at) TheMasters for showing me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!”
The five-time champion completed his second round in a cold, pouring rain on Saturday to cut his mark to 3, extend his Masters streak to 23 straight and tie Fred Couples and Gary Player for the longest run in history.
The 47-year-old Woods retired to start his third lap as the temperature struggled to climb to 50 degrees, and ended up a waterlogged road. Wearing a gray winter cap over a baseball cap, he started the 10th hole with a bogey, adding another at No. 14, and then hit back-to-back double bogeys after finding water at No. 15 and 16.
It was the first time Woods had back-to-back double bogeys at the Masters.
By the time the horn sounded ending the game with the rain still pouring and puddles starting to stand at Augusta National, Woods was 9th and alone in last place among those who qualified. It was 22 shots behind leader Brooks Koepka.
“I've always loved this golf course, and I love playing this event,” Woods said after his second round Saturday. “Obviously I missed some injured players, but I always wanted to play here. I love it.”
Woods also pulled out before last year's PGA Championship finals with what his agent, Mark Steinberg, described as pain and discomfort in his right leg. It came hours after the 15-time major champion limped to 79 at the Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the same cold and windy weather; he had shot 69 in the second innings.
Woods claimed his fifth green jacket of 2019 when he finished one stroke ahead of Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele. It was his first major win in 11 years and, at 43 years of age, Woods became the second oldest player to win a Masters after Jack Nicklaus, who was 46 when he won his sixth green jacket in 1986.
Woods was injured in 2021 when his car slid off a suburban Los Angeles road at over 85 mph, crushing his right leg so badly he said doctors were considering amputation. Asked how much hardware holds it together, Woods replied: “A lot.”
Woods recovered and made the cut in last year's Masters before shooting back-to-back 78s over the weekend.
Injuries have forced Woods to play a very limited schedule – majors and a select few events. He shot two rounds in the '60s and finished 45th at The Genesis Invitational on the Riviera in February, but he missed Bay Hill and The Players Championship to keep him healthy and ready to return to Augusta National.
The question now is whether Woods will play the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in May. The US Open is held at the Los Angeles Country Club in June, not far from where Woods grew up, and the British Open is held at Royal Liverpool in July.
“Yeah, mobility, this is not where I want to be,” said Woods. “I've told you guys before, I'm very lucky to have this leg – it's mine. Yes, it's been tweaked and there's some hardware in there, but it's still mine. It's tough and it always will be. What capability and endurance what my feet will do forward will never be the same. 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.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.