For the fifth time in the last eleven installments of the Masters, Tiger Woods is unable to compete. The five-time winner of the green jacket is sidelined this week at Augusta National while he recuperates from a torn Achilles tendon, an injury he had disclosed during the week of The Players Championship.
Woods was actively preparing for this significant tournament of the year when he incurred the injury. His last competitive outing was during the inaugural season of TGL, his golf simulator league.
Initially, he was scheduled to participate in the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines but made his withdrawal three days prior due to ongoing grief from his mother’s passing. His most recent appearance on the PGA Tour was at the 2024 Open, where he did not make the cut.
Last year at the Masters, the 15-time major champion added another achievement to his historical records by making the cut, extending his consecutive cuts at Augusta National to 24, which broke the previous record he shared with Fred Couples and Gary Player.
Woods competed alongside amateur Neal Shipley during the final round of the 2024 Masters, ultimately finishing last among those who made the cut. It was evident that he was still struggling physically.
Watch the 2025 Masters coverage all Sunday from CBS Sports, with expanded broadcast airing from 12-2 p.m. on Paramount+ before switching to CBS from 2-7 p.m. Highlights include coverage of Featured Groups, Amen Corner, and Holes 15 & 16. You can catch all the action live through Paramount+, CBSSports.com, and the CBS Sports App.
Since suffering critical lower-body injuries in a car accident in February 2021, Woods has played in ten official PGA Tour events. He returned at the 2022 Masters and surprised many with an opening 71, but fell back in the following rounds. He managed to make the cut once again in 2023 but was compelled to withdraw before starting the third round due to an ankle injury.
At 49 years old, Woods has not played on weekends outside Augusta National since the 2023 Genesis Invitational, where he finished T45. Consequently, he will be watching the 2025 Masters from home, while his long-time peer and TGL partner, Rory McIlroy, attempts to achieve the career grand slam, a feat only accomplished by Woods before.
