AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods has an ideal tee time for his return to golf at the Masters — at least as far as TV is concerned.
After weeks of speculation about his playing partners for the opening two rounds at Augusta National, the starting times released Tuesday had more to do with “when” than “who.” Woods is to tee off at 11:42 a.m. MDT on Thursday in the penultimate group for the second straight year. Barring any delays, his group likely will be on about the eighth hole when ESPN’s live coverage begins at 2 p.m.
It will be the first time Woods has competed since a sex scandal began to unfold the day after Thanksgiving.
Joining him for two days will be Matt Kuchar, a popular figure in these parts from his All-American days at Georgia Tech; and K.J. Choi of South Korea, which is sure to appeal to Augusta National’s broadcast partners in Asia.
“It’s funny because I sort of had a feeling when I left Dallas that it would be cool if I was paired with Tiger, and it happened,” Choi said. “It’s a good surprise.”
Woods is to start at 8:35 a.m. Friday, limiting coverage of him to live streaming on the Masters’ website.
ESPN executive vice president John Wildhack said every “meaningful shot” by Woods will be shown by the network at some point, whether live or as part of highlights.
“This is the Masters Tournament, and that is THE story line, and we’re here to cover the Masters Tournament,” Wildhack said. “Obviously Tiger and the fact this is his return to golf is the story line in terms of individual players, but not only one.”
The scouting report for Woods is not promising.
Jim Furyk, who played the final five holes with Woods during practice Monday, said the four-time Masters champion was hitting some loose shots. Woods was rarely satisfied with his tee shots Tuesday, hitting two balls on several holes.
“He is probably not as sharp as he will be a month from now,” Jack Nicklaus said. “But he’s here. And him not sharp is still pretty good.”
That’s all, folks.
Raymond Floyd’s days of tournament golf appear to be over.
Floyd announced he will no longer play the Masters, making last year’s appearance — his 44th — his final one.
“It was something I toyed with pretty much all year, as to whether I would play or not,” Floyd said. “I wanted to leave with really fond memories of the golf course and the way I played the golf course through all of these years, and I’m not competitive there now. I didn’t want to go out there and embarrass myself.”
Asked if he would continue to play on the Champions Tour, Floyd said he is “probably retired” from tournament golf.
Floyd, 67, won the Masters in 1976 and was runner-up three times but hasn’t made the cut in 10 years.
The Associated Press
