Tiger Woods continues to stun all of us to this day. Despite being winless for almost half a decade now, his determination to add another major win to his fifteen titles is truly awe-striking. Woods’s Jupiter Links GC teammate, Max Homa, remains one of the few golf world personalities who, albeit doubtful, still would not put another win past him.
During the 2024 Masters, Homa was paired up for the first two rounds with the 48-year-old. Needless to say, Homa had a fan moment. He was truly in awe. “It really is a dream to get to play with him here. I always wanted to just watch him hit iron shots around here, and I was right up next to him,” said the 33-year-old post-Masters. Recently, at the post-tournament presser of the PGA Championship, Homa was questioned on how much he thinks Woods has left in the tank, and his response was straight up what a true fan and a concerned fellow golfer would say!
The 6-time PGA Tour winner openly talked about how “it always would be crazy to think he would win another one.” Woods’s hard work and skills, along with his incredible performance in the first two rounds at ANGC, helped him not completely negate the possibility of another victory. Safe to say, Homa remains hopeful: “I very much thought he could win another golf tournament. So I don’t know tank-wise, but he works his a** off, and he’s really, really good at golf, so I would put nothing past him at this point.”
Golf is a challenging sport, both mentally and physically. The golfers are under a lot of pressure, and for someone like Woods, who stunned everyone with his game, the pressure to come back is extra. But truly, it comes down to the golfer, and Woods has not shied away from expressing how he wants more. He still wishes to add another stripe to his Sun Day Red logo, which would demonstrate his 16th incredible win. Basically, Woods is not done.
Expressing a similar emotion, Homa said, “I think at some point it probably just comes down to him, just how badly he wants it. I feel like we all know he wants it real bad, so I feel like it is just kind of like that. But his skill level and talent are still just mesmerizing. So, yeah, I don’t know his playing schedule going forward; you know, I know he plays in these big ones.” Woods aims to play at Pinehurst and Troon too, after his completion at Valhalla.
In his thirst for a sixteenth stripe on his new SDR logo, a persistent Woods seems ready to do all that it takes. He was seen on the driving range to practice his shots yesterday, and he looked healthy with no golf cart in sight. His earlier appearance at Augusta National GC saw him take extreme steps, like resorting to celibacy and working hours at the gym. The hard work that Woods had put in showed at ANGC, with him being able to play all four rounds without any major limping in sight. With his appearance at Valhalla comes hope too, for the golfer and fans alike.
Homa’s evaluation of the possibility of a desperate Woods turning his dreams into reality adds up. But what does Woods opine about his companion’s assessment, and how does he believe he can deal with his ongoing performances?
Tiger Woods presents a candid evaluation of his near future in golf
Even though Tiger Woods’s performance at the 2024 Masters gave him the accolade of making 24 consecutive cuts and successfully completing his 100th round at ANGC, a win-hungry goat was not fully satisfied. While he certainly did well in the initial two days, he realizes the path to a 16th major win would require more. “I just need to do it for all four days, not like I did at Augusta for only two,” said Woods. At the Masters this year, he played fairly well for the first two days and shot 73 and par on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Things started to go downhill from Saturday. He shot 10 over on moving day, his worst major round ever, and then on Sunday, he shot 5 over.
He believes he still “can win golf tournaments,” but his problem lies in the increasing difficulties that come with the wrath of age and recurrent health issues. During the PGA Championship presser, Woods added, “It’s getting around; that’s more of the difficulty that I face day-to-day and the recovery of pushing myself either in practice or on competition days. You saw it at Augusta. I was there after two days and didn’t do very well on the weekend.”
