Ailing Woods withdraws from Masters at 9-over

• Senior college football writer
• Author of seven books on college football
• Graduate of the University of Georgia

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods, who looked to be in serious pain during a rain-filled day at the Masters on Saturday, withdrew before play resumed at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday morning.

Woods, 47, was limping badly as he played many of the first eight holes of the third round in a downpour on Saturday. Woods was 6-over through his first seven completed holes of the third round. He was 9-over through 43 holes, which was worst among the 54 players who made the 36-hole cut, and 22 strokes behind leader Brooks Koepka.

Woods faced the prospect of finishing the 17th hole and playing 28 more holes on Sunday.

It is the second time in the past year that Woods withdrew from a major championship because of injury. In May, he pulled out of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after posting his worst score in the event, a 9-over 79 in the third round.

After starting the third round on the second nine Saturday, Woods made consecutive double-bogeys on holes 15 and 16 after putting two balls in the water. It was the first time in the five-time Masters winner and 15-time major champion’s storied career that he recorded back-to-back double-bogeys in the Masters and only the fourth such instance in a major championship.

Play was suspended at 3:15 p.m. ET on Saturday after heavy rainfall left water pooling on greens. Woods had just hit his second shot on the 17th hole, his eighth hole of the round. He was limping badly even while taking only a few steps from his bag to his ball in the fairway.

For the second straight year at the Masters, Woods struggled in cold weather on the weekend. He barely made the cut on the number on Saturday — it moved to 3-over after his good friend Justin Thomas had bogeys on each of the last two holes and missed the cut. It was Woods’ 23rd consecutive made cut at Augusta National, which tied Gary Player and Fred Couples for the longest streak in the tournament’s history.

Last year, after Woods returned to competitive golf from a 508-day layoff after he was seriously injured in a car wreck in February 2021, he posted consecutive scores of 6-over 78 in each of his last two rounds, his worst scores in the Masters.

Woods suffered serious injuries to his right leg, foot and ankle. He played in only three major championships last year, finishing 47th at the Masters and missing the cut at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews. He tied for 45th at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles in February.

Since the wreck, Woods has repeatedly said he would only play in the majors and one or two other events. The next major, the PGA Championship, is scheduled for May 18-21 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Woods hasn’t said whether he intends to play in that event.

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