Exclusive: Paul McGinley expresses surprise and disappointment about Tiger Woods’ Masters preparation.
Paul McGinley, a former captain of the Ryder Cup, has expressed his surprise and disappointment at Tiger Woods’ lack of play in the weeks leading up to The Masters.
Speaking exclusively to GolfMagic, McGinley assessed Woods’ prospects at The Masters and disclosed that the 15-time major champion shouldn’t have high expectations because of his insufficient playing time.
At the Genesis Invitational earlier this year, Woods made his comeback to the PGA Tour.
He shot a solid one-over 73 in the first round, but regrettably, flu-like symptoms and dehydration forced him to withdraw from the competition halfway through the second round.
An ambulance was even dispatched to the Riviera Country Club to tend to Woods after the spectacular departure.
The five-time Masters champion hasn’t played a competitive round of golf since then and has withdrew from multiple events.
We sat down to talk with McGinley and asked him what we thought Woods would do at Augusta National.
He said:
His expectations aren’t able to be that high. The fact that he hasn’t played since Genesis surprises and disappoints me, especially considering that the flu was the cause of his withdrawal from the competition. Since it doesn’t appear to have been an injury, I assumed he might have entered another tournament between Genesis and now, but it’s surprising that he hasn’t made the decision to do so.
In 2023, Woods participated in The Masters, but he had to leave the tournament seven holes into his third round because an old injury had gotten worse.
He had more ankle surgery since then, and prior to the Genesis Invitational earlier this year, he said he was pain-free.
Even with Woods’ assertion, McGinley thinks he could still have problems with Augusta National’s rolling terrain.
He continued, saying:
“You already know that the physical challenges in and around Augusta, including the hilly terrain and side hills, will be extremely difficult for him. He hasn’t played golf in a long time. Therefore, I believe that high expectations are not warranted.
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