With play shortened due to weather on Saturday, the thought of finishing round three, and then having to play a complete final round was too much for Tiger Woods to bear. Woods was in considerable pain early on in Saturday’s round, where he withdrew before play resumed on Sunday morning.
Rahm’s victory was complete just after 7:00 PM eastern time, while Woods was already back on a plane back to his home in Jupiter Island, Florida.
The 15-time major champion is now 47, and has only played in seven tournaments in the past three years, due to injury. Woods publicly stated that he would only play in majors and a select few events going forward, with his last major win coming at the 2019 Masters.
Five green jackets at The Masters, four PGA Championships, and three a piece at the US and British Opens make up Woods’ 15 championships. His 82 wins on the PGA Tour are currently tied with “Slammin’” Sam Snead for most all-time. Woods has won over $120.9 million in prize money, which is more than $50 million ahead of Rory McIlroy for seconds. In fact, just $271,000 separates McIroy from Vijay Singh for fourth (Jim Furyk sits in third) in career earnings.
After withdrawing with the foot injury on Sunday, this marks back-to-back majors where Woods could not complete the weekend. Back in May of 2022, Woods shot a 9-over 79 in the third round, and exited before tee times could be announced for the following morning.
While he recently played a Pro-Am with his son Charlie, Woods’ last victory on the PGA Tour was the 2019 Zozo Championship in Japan, which was the inaugural event for the tournament.
We just saw Tom Brady finally end his illustrious NFL career a few months ago, but his last two seasons were rather pedestrian. No one remembers Michael Jordan’s final two years in Washington for anything other than a farewell tour. At least Albert Puljols was able to break a few milestones during his final season last year in St. Louis.
So why is the media thinking that the mystique of Tiger Woods is still there, while his competitive ability clearly is not?
Woods revolutionized the game of golf in a time where the sport needed it most. However, the equipment has advanced, while the players have caught up and surpassed. Woods used to be the guy out driving anyone else not named John Daly by 20-30 yards off the tee. Now he has to rely on his approach game more than he ever cared for during his prime. His back, knee and (now) foot trouble make lining up hunched over putts feel like one of the course spotters ran him over in a cart.
Yet here are all major sports news outlets leading with Tiger exiting Augusta while already well out of contention to even make the second page of the leaderboard, while Rahm was trying to fend off LIV Golf defectors in Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka.
Tiger Woods was the player holding up golf for more than two decades. The foundation is sound enough that you can remove a pillar without fear of implosion in 2023.
Mickelson would end up shooting the low round of the day on Sunday to finish at -8, still four shots behind Rahm for second. Also, if Reed was trying to add to his controversial image, wearing the cap of the team he plays for on the “Blood Money Tour” was the perfect way to get close and fall short.
The LIV/PGA rivalry is not going away, with the animosity certain PGA players have towards defectors. This is the story that golf needs, not a former legend trying to find lightning in a bottle one more time before his competitive legacy is passed on to his son.
-JC24