
Tiger Woods presents Dustin Johnson with his green jacket after he won the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, November 15, 2020, in Augusta, Georgia. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS)
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The last time the Masters was held in April, Tiger Woods pulled off an improbable and emotional career comeback to win the 2019 tournament for his fifth green jacket.
But Woods, recovering from a February car crash, isn’t here this week and there are serious doubts about whether he’ll ever be able to play competitive golf again.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released details of Wood’s crash Wednesday, saying the golfer was speeding at more than 82 mph in a 45-mph zone, and instead of braking was actually accelerating when he lost control of his vehicle near Rancho Palos Verdes.
Police are not sure whether he was conscious at the time of the crash, in which Woods suffered several injuries, including multiple fractures to his right leg.
In recent weeks, some fellow golfers have visited him as he recovers at his home in Florida.
“I went over and saw him,” Rory McIlroy said. “Spent a couple hours with him, which was nice. It was good to see him. It was good to see him in decent spirits and actually not as, you know — like when you hear of these things and you look at the car and you see the crash, you think he’s going to be in a hospital bed for six months. But he was actually doing better than that.”
Justin Thomas said he particularly misses playing practice rounds with Woods.
“I went over and saw him a couple times last week and try to go over a couple times during the week whenever I’m home and see him,” Thomas said. “We texted Friday morning, and he said it’s kind of starting to set in. He’s bummed he’s not here playing practice rounds with us, and we hate it, too.”
Although he was the last to win the storied tournament in April, Woods isn’t the defending champion. That honor belongs to Dustin Johnson, who won the event that was postponed until November because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
McIlroy, for one, hasn’t ruled out another Woods comeback.
“Any time Tiger Woods tees it up in a golf tournament, it’s better,” he said. “It’s better for the tournament. It’s better for the players that are involved. It’s better for everyone.
“Unfortunately, he’s not here this year. You know, hopefully, if his recovery goes well, who knows, he could be back in 12 months’ time. But yeah, he’s always missed when he doesn’t play in these big events, and, you know, that doesn’t change this week, whether it’s to do with his back or his leg or whatever it is. I know he’s at home and he’s fully focused on the recovery process, and I feel like he’s mentally strong enough to get through that. And once he does, broken bones heal, and he’s just got to take it step by step.
“I know he’d love to be here, and I’m sure he’s going to put everything he has into trying to be ready to play here next year.”
Who has the best odds to win the 2021 Masters?
Who has the best odds to win the 2021 Masters?
Dustin Johnson 8-1

Tiger Woods helps Masters champion Dustin Johnson with his green jacket after his victory at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., in 2020.
Jordan Spieth 10-1

Jordan Spieth watches his drive from the 11th tee during the first round of the Texas Open golf tournament.
Bryson DeChambeau 12-1

Bryson DeChambeau hits from the bunker on the ninth hole during the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament.
Justin Thomas 12-1

Justin Thomas hits off the 14th tee during a first round match at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament.
Jon Rahm 14-1

Jon Rahm, of Spain, watches his drive from the No. 7 tee during a round of eight match at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament.
Patrick Cantlay 20-1

Patrick Cantlay hits his third shot on the second hole during a second round match against Carlos Ortiz of Mexico, at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament.
Rory McIlroy 20-1

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the bunker on the second hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament.
Xander Schauffele 20-1

Xander Schauffele reacts to his shot on the fourth green during a first round match at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament.
Tony Finau 30-1

Tony Finau watches his tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the Workday Championship golf tournament.
Viktor Hovland 30-1

Viktor Hovland, of Norway, reacts after barely missing a long putt on the 17th green during the final round of the Workday Championship golf tournament.
Collin Morikawa 30-1

Collin Morikawa blocks over the bridge on the 14th hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament.
Patrick Reed 30-1

Patrick Reed hits off the sixth tee during a first round match at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament.
Daniel Berger 40-1

Daniel Berger watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament.
Sungjae Im 40-1

Sungjae Im, of South Korea, watches after chipping onto the third green during the third round of the Workday Championship golf tournament.
Brooks Koepka 40-1

Brooks Koepka watches his tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the Workday Championship golf tournament.
Cameron Smith 40-1

Cameron Smith, right, of Australia, lines up a putt on the first green during the third round of the Workday Championship golf tournament.
Paul Casey 50-1

Paul Casey of England hits his third shot on the 12th hole during a second round match at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament.
Webb Simpson 50-1

Webb Simpson lines up a putt on the first green during the third round of the Workday Championship golf tournament.
Scottie Scheffler 50-1

Scottie Scheffler plays a shot from a bunker on the seventh hole during the first round of the Texas Open golf tournament.
Lee Westwood 50-1

Sergio Garcia, of Spain, takes his ball out of the cup after making a hole in one on the fourth hole to win his playoff against Lee Westwood, of England, during a third round match at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship golf tournament.
The rest of the field

Hideki Matsuyama 60-1
Jason Day 60-1
Tommy Fleetwood 60-1
Tyrrell Hatton 60-1
Louis Oosthuizen 60-1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 60-1
Bubba Watson 80-1
Adam Scott 80-1
Joaquin Niemann 80-1
Sergio Garcia 80-1
Justin Rose 100-1
Abraham Ancer 100-1
Corey Conners 100-1
Billy Horschel 100-1
Matt Kuchar 100-1
Matthew Wolff 125-1
Will Zalatoris 125-1
Francesco Molinari 125-1
Gary Woodland 125-1
Harris English 125-1
Max Homa 125-1
Matt Wallace 125-1
Jason Kokrak 150-1
Shane Lowry 150-1
Marc Leishman 150-1
Brian Harman 150-1
Phil Mickelson 200-1
Cameron Champ 200-1
Kevin Kisner 200-1
Si Woo Kim 200-1
Kevin Na 200-1
Ryan Palmer 200-1
Victor Perez 200-1
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 200-1
Sebastian Munoz 250-1
Danny Willett 250-1
Robert MacIntyre 250-1
Ian Poulter 250-1
Dylan Frittelli 250-1
Carlos Ortiz 300-1
Zach Johnson 300-1
Bernd Wiesberger 300-1
Brendon Todd 300-1
Lanto Griffin 300-1
Mackenzie Hughes 300-1
Matt Jones 300-1
Henrik Stenson 500-1
C.T. Pan 500-1
Charl Schwartzel 500-1
Martin Laird 500-1
Stewart Cink 500-1
Robert Streb 1,000-1
Michael Thompson 1,000-1
Hudson Swafford 1,000-1
Jimmy Walker 1,000-1
Brian Gay 1,000-1
Jim Herman 1,000-1
Bernhard Langer 1,000-1
Fred Couples 1,000-1
Mike Weir 2,000-1
Vijay Singh 2,000-1
Jose Maria Olazabal 3,000-1
Charles Osborne 5,000-1
Tyler Strafaci 5,000-1
Joe Long 5,000-1
Larry Mize 10,000-1
Sandy Lyle 10,000-1
Ian Woosnam 10,000-1