AUGUST, Ga. – Tiger Woods can be coming Saturday morning as the foremost event for the Masters, not a totally recent storyline.
But this time, he won’t be chasing Augusta National history in the type of a sixth green jacket to match Jack Nicklaus’ record.
With a 2-over in the tournament, 14 strokes behind leader Brooks Koepka, Woods will play the last eight holes of a weather-strained second round with a shot at winning the Masters for the 23rd time Fred Pary and Gary Player.
Woods was right on the predicted cut line when club officials announced it was Friday night after storms caused two suspensions and sent many tall pines to the ground.
Making it to the final two rounds could be a big achievement for Woods, who suffered horrific injuries to his right leg in a automobile accident in 2021.
When asked after the first round of 74 if the pain in his leg was inconsistent or constant, Woods replied, “It’s constant.”
The weather forecast for Saturday didn’t look promising, leaving open the possibility of a 27-hole or 36-hole Sunday.
That will not be excellent news for Woods, based on his longtime aide Joe LaCava.
“My biggest fear of stepping into – in order to not overtake – is that we’ll get a variety of rain and thunderstorms,” LaCava told The Post before the tournament began. “Now we stop and begin, or in the future we go for extra holes. I am unable to imagine him attempting to go over 27 holes [in one day] here, but again, let’s get to that once we get to it. But that is an element.”
LIV Golf could take a surprising victory over the PGA Tour if Brooks Koepka maintains the lead and wins his fifth major title, but when Koepka falters, there may be help at reasonable striking distance.
The closest LIV players on the leaderboard are 52-year-old Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion who played horribly on the Saudi-backed track, together with former Masters champion Patrick Reed and Joaquin Niemann.
On the 4 below, all are eight shots from Koepka’s pace.
Cameron Smith, winner of the 2022 British Open, has 2 under.
When play was suspended on Friday, 10 of the 17 LIV players who remained on the pitch after Kevin Na’s withdrawal were capable of make the cut.
Sandy Lyle, a 65-year-old Scot, made it to the weekend in his forty second and final Masters, but not quite as he had hoped.
The 1988 Masters champion was 19 years old and was on the point of hit the 18th green and retire when a storm blew up and a siren sounded to suspend the second inning.
Play didn’t resume on Friday night, forcing Lyle to make his last shot on Saturday – assuming the weather didn’t spoil the tournament until Sunday.
Lyle began his final Masters on Thursday, sailing through the trees for the first time, slamming his stick on the second shot he tried together with his left hand, and hitting the cameraman with the ball.
Lyle made a bogey 5 and the fun was just starting.