'Golf Emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) is finally back on the field.



Woods announced that he will participate in the Masters Golf Tournament, the first major tournament of the PGA Tour season, to be held at the Augusta National Golf Club (par 72) in Augusta, Georgia, USA from the 8th.



Woods held a press conference at the Augusta National Golf Club on the same day to announce his decision to play in the Masters.



It will be the first time in 1 year, 4 months and 23 days (509 days) since the November 2020 Masters that Woods will participate in a regular PGA Tour tournament.



After nearly amputating his leg in a car accident in February of last year, after 10 months of rehab, he competed with his son at the PNC Championship, an inter-family event, last December, when he went kart on the course.



Woods, who has not yet gained strength in his legs to play 72 holes on foot, is returning to the regular tour sooner than expected.



Woods flew to Augusta National Golf Club early and played a 36-hole practice round over four days, giving rise to the observation that there is a high possibility of returning.



Prior to the press conference, Woods announced his decision to compete by hitting the ball for a long time on the practice range for about an hour.



He hinted that he would check his condition until the end, saying, “I will look around the 9th hole tomorrow.”



Woods hit over 300 yards long in a practice round, and walked around Augusta National Golf Club, a rather uncomfortable gait, with steep climbs and descents.



With practice rounds, Woods appears to have come to the conclusion that his shots and his stamina have reached a level that will compete in the Masters.



"He decided to play because he thought he could win," Woods said.



The Masters was predicted from a long time ago as the stage for Woods' return.



The Masters is where Woods crowned the new 'golf king' and heralded a revival.



Woods reported his first major championship win in 1997, and in 2019 added a major championship trophy for the first time in 11 years.



Five of Woods' 15 major wins came from the Masters.



If Woods wins the Masters this time, he will be on par with Jack Nicklaus (USA)'s career record for most wins (6 wins), and also break the record for the oldest win (46 years, 2 months, 24 days) held by Nicklaus.



The tournament organizing committee announced the first round groupings right after Woods' press conference. Woods will start the first round match at 11:34 pm on the 7th with Louis Usthizen (South Africa) and Joaquin Nieman (Chile).



(Photo = Getty Images Korea)