Tiger Woods’ longest day is a struggle between light and darkness. The fates and Masters tee times had conspired against him – but what he is doing at Augusta is utterly remarkable

Tiger Woods’ longest day is a struggle between light and darkness. The fates and Masters tee times had conspired against him – but what he is doing at Augusta is utterly remarkable

It was just before 8am and Tiger Woods stood in shafts of glinting early morning sunlight at the foot of the slope that leads up to the 14th green at Augusta National.

He bumped a chip up towards the putting surface and watched it roll 22ft past the hole. He judged the line of his par putt perfectly but left it a foot short. He stared sullenly at his ball.

The pain in the limbs and the joints of Woods’s body, a body ravaged by time, misadventure and the relentless pursuit of greatness is at its worst after dawn and he thrust his hands deep into his pockets as he walked towards the 15th tee, his expression set and grim. People called out words of encouragement but he did not seem to hear.

This was the start of Tiger Woods’s longest day, a day when the weather, the fates and The Masters tee times had conspired to bequeath to this generation’s greatest golfer, a man held together by metal rods and spinal fusion surgery and ankle fusion surgery, the physical challenge of playing 23 holes before the end of the afternoon.

He may have played more holes in 24 hours when he was younger but not since he nearly lost a leg in a car crash in the hills above Los Angeles in 2021, an accident, caused by his own driving, that left him in so much pain that he was forced to withdraw from The Masters midway through the third round last year.

There was a delay on the 15th tee while Woods and his playing partners, Jason Day and Max Homa, waited for the group in front to move out of their range and Day tried to engage Woods in conversation. Woods responded but he did not look particularly enthusiastic about the exchange. It would be fair to say that Day did most of the talking.

Then they hit their drives and Woods smote his between the two lines of pines that formed a corridor leading away from the tee. The brilliant white ball soared into the air against the clear blue sky and came to rest in the middle of the lush green fairway, as the crowd roared and a father moved his son closer to where the five-time winner stood.

Everyone wants to sense the presence of greatness in sport close up and to watch Woods play, to see him walk up the fairways at Augusta, is to feel the richness of the history of golf and his place right up there with the giants of the game such as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones and Arnold Palmer.

Greatness can progress through different iterations in a player’s career and now Woods’s greatness is contained in his absolute refusal to accept that his physical limitations can neuter his absurd levels of natural talent. It is the same with Andy Murray and his metal hip. Forget the people who urge Woods and Murray to retire. They are every bit as inspiring at this stage of their careers as they were in their prime.

Woods, 48, was still shooting for history on this Friday in Georgia, too. He had made the cut at The Masters 23 consecutive times before this year, tied for the most in tournament history with Fred Couples and Player. This was his shot at being out on his own at the head of the field.

Woods followed his ball down the 15th fairway, trailing behind everyone else in his playing g