Tiger Woods secret round gives clear indication of The Masters chances

The Masters are under a fortnight away, and Tiger Woods can break a tournament record by making the cut at Augusta for the 24th consecutive time in his 26th appearance

Tiger Woods spent Saturday playing a practice round at Augusta less than two weeks before the Masters starts.

Woods, 48, has not been out on the course competitively since withdrawing after six holes of the second round during the Genesis Invitational in mid-February with the flu. But earlier this month, the 15-time major champion returned to golf in the Seminole Pro-Member alongside friend and business partner Rory McIlroy.

Unlike the world number two, Woods did not play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational or The Players Championship. More recently, he played a round with Yasir Al-Rummayan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, in The Bahamas before the latest meetings about a merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

READ MORE: Details emerge from Tiger Woods’ private meeting with LIV Golf chiefs amid PGA Tour uncertainty
READ MORE: Masters appear to confirm Tiger Woods playing decision before himself with 2024 list

Now, an Augusta scouting mission has followed. Woods’ Gulfstream G550 jet flew north into Augusta, per flight trackers.

Sports Illustrated later reported that he played with club chairman Fred Ridley and Justin Thomas. Woods is on the entry list for his 26th appearance at the tournament in what would be his second event of the year.

By making the cut, the five-time Masters winner would break a tie with Gary Player and Fred Couples for the most consecutive made cuts in competition history. He has done so 24 straight times, starting in 1997 when he pulled on the Green Jacket for the first time. Woods has only missed the cut once, in 1996, after finishing in a tie for 41st the previous year before even turning professional.