OLIVER HOLT: Tiger Woods’ longest day was a battle between light and dark. The fates and Masters tee times had conspired against him – but what he’s doing at Augusta is absolutely remarkable

It was just before 8 a.m. 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 pushed a chip up against the putting surface and watched it roll 22 feet past the hole. He judged the line on his par putt perfect, but left it a foot short. He stared sullenly at his ball.

The pain in the limbs and joints of Woods’ body, a body ravaged by time, misfortune and the relentless pursuit of greatness is worst after dawn, and he thrust his hands deep into his pockets as he walked toward the 15th tee, his expression set and grim . People shouted words of encouragement, but he didn’t seem to hear.

This was the start of Tiger Woods’ 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 and ankle fusion surgeries. physical challenge of playing 23 holes before the end of the afternoon.

Woods played 23 holes on Friday after his first round was cut short by poor light on Thursday

But what the five-time Masters winner is doing at Augusta this week has been remarkable

He may have played several holes in 24 hours when he was younger, but not since he nearly lost a leg in a car accident 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 didn’t look particularly thrilled by the exchange. It would be fair to say that Day accounted for most of it.

Then they hit their drives and Woods hit his between the two lines of pines that formed a corridor leading off 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 sports up close and to watch Woods play, to watch him walk up the fairways at Augusta, is to feel the richness of golf history 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.

Everyone wants to feel the presence of greatness in sports up close and see Woods play

Woods and Andy Murray’s greatness comes from their refusal to retire from golf and tennis

Greatness can develop through different iterations of a player’s career, and now Woods’ greatness is contained in his absolute refusal to accept that his physical limitations can neutralize his absurd levels of natural talent. It’s the same with Andy Murray and his metal hippie. Forget the people calling for Woods and Murray to retire. They are as inspiring at this stage of their career as they were in their prime.

Woods, 48, was also still making history this Friday in Georgia. He had made the cut at The Masters 23 times in a row 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 front of the field.

Woods followed his ball down the 15th fairway, trailing everyone else in his playing group, hands still deep in his pockets to protect against the lingering chill in the morning air. When he reached it, he saw that it was not far from Dag’s ball. As it happens, Woods had surpassed Day by about six feet.

Police said the golfer was “lucky to be alive” after he hit a raised center reservation while driving at high speed in 2021 and crashed his SUV

Woods, who won in 2019, continues to prove that he is a phenomenon on the golf course

What Woods is doing here at Augusta this year is remarkable. Totally remarkable. After all, he has a talent for the remarkable. I was here in 2019 when he won his fifth Masters at the age of 43, not long after he had been so afflicted with back problems that he could barely walk. It was probably the greatest individual sporting achievement I have ever witnessed. The man is a phenomenon.

He finally finished his first round at 9:29 a.m., after missing another shot on the 18th. He briefly disappeared into the clubhouse. There were only 48 minutes until the start of his second round. As he reemerged and walked through the crowd waiting for him under the famous oak tree, someone yelled “Come on Tiger,” and Woods puffed out his cheeks as if preparing for a physical ordeal.

Which is partly what golf has become for him now. He disappeared towards the first tee as the crowd formed a corridor for him and his entourage of security guards, and it felt like the prelude to a title fight. Given the battle ahead, perhaps that was fitting. Many expected him to fade from then on and miss the cut. Woods was not among them.

As he walked down the first fairway, a woman held the hand of a young girl in a floral dress and pointed in the direction of the man limping determinedly up the hill toward the first green. “See that man in the white hat?” she said to her daughter. “It’s Tiger Woods.”

Woods and Jason Day were seen chatting during their round on Thursday afternoon

While he made the cut, Woods isn’t stopping there, saying he believes he can win again at Augusta

Woods kept fighting. His second round was a battle between light and dark. He bogeyed the third and bogeyed the fourth and fifth. Against a deafening roar rolling across the course, he chipped in from the edge of a bunker on the 6th for birdie. To great groans of disappointment, he bogeyed the 7th. Then birdied the 8th.

At Amen Corner, he made a brilliant par on the 11th when Homa, now the tournament leader, could only manage a bogey. As he advanced to the 12th tee, the vast gallery of patrons gathered there rose in their thousands to applaud him and watch as he carried his tee shot safely over Rae’s Creek.

He played steady now, making five straight pars before bogeying the 14th. Then he hit a majestic second shot on the par-five 15th to within 15 feet of the hole. After Woods plays a shot, armies of spectators move, eager to follow him every step of the way. They saw him leave his eagle putt short but drain a birdie.

It was clear that Woods was going to make it and that history was going to be made. It is unlikely that Woods thought of it that way. “I think I can get one more,” he said Tuesday when asked how far his ambitions spread for the tournament. When his round ended, he was eight shots off the lead. There was still work to be done.