Will Tiger Play?™️—That, and More Early Masters Storylines to Watch

The 90th edition of the Masters kicks off in 34 days. I’ll give you a minute to gather yourself.

We’re just a month away from Augusta National blessing our televisions again, when the golf world reconvenes for the year’s first major championship. The best part? I can’t wait to see what Rory McIlroy serves at the Champions Dinner. That menu has been a decade-plus in the making.

As we enter the home stretch, I wanted to touch on a few storylines that have been on my mind—starting with whether or not Tiger Woods will tee it up.

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Will Tiger Play?

All signs point to Tiger teeing it up in a month. But we still don’t have a definitive answer.

He teased a possible appearance at the Genesis Invitational during a pre-tournament press conference and again during a broadcast segment alongside Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman. Plus, he looked pretty good celebrating with Tom Kim after his TGL hole-in-one earlier this week.

In my mind, if he’s close, he’s going to play. He loves this tournament and this golf course more than anyone in the world. He missed it last year after rupturing his Achilles while ramping up for Augusta, and I have a hard time seeing him sit out two years in a row—especially if he feels good about his body.

If he does tee it up, he’ll be chasing his 25th consecutive made cut at Augusta National.

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Big Names Still Looking for an Invite

Four events separate us from now until the Masters. It’s enough time—but not a lot of time—for some of golf’s biggest names to work their way into the field.

A few players currently on the outside looking in: Rickie Fowler, Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau, Tom Kim, and Sahith Theegala.

A win would solve the problem immediately. The other path? Sneaking into the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking the week before the tournament.

Right now, Fowler sits at 67th, Zalatoris at 268th, Finau at 101st, Kim at 118th, and Theegala at 97th.

The clock is ticking.

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History is Against Rory McIlroy

Three players have successfully defended their Masters title. Three.

The last to do it was Tiger Woods in 2002.

If history tells us anything, someone other than Rory McIlroy will slip on the Green Jacket in just over a month. I’m choosing to believe he’ll be the fourth.

He opened his PGA TOUR season with a tie for 14th at Pebble Beach before finishing runner-up at the Genesis Invitational. The form is there, and this will be the first time he can arrive at Augusta with a sense of freedom.

A freed-up McIlroy at a golf course perfectly suited to his game should be a pretty great watch.

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