Tiger Woods Marks His Highest Score at Masters in Professional Career

Tiger Woods concluded the Masters tournament on Sunday with a performance that, by his standards, was less than ideal. Finishing with a 16-over 304, this marked his highest 72-hole score in an illustrious career that has spanned over three decades. This surpassed his previous high of 302 at the Memorial in 2015, which included a career-worst 85 in the third round. Remarkably, this is only the second instance at the Masters where Woods has not broken the 300 mark, the first being two years prior with scores of 78-78 over the weekend, culminating in a 301 finish.

Despite this, the crowd's support for Woods was undiminished. The 48-year-old golfer, still navigating the challenges posed by numerous surgeries and their impact on his body and PGA Tour playtime, was met with a resounding cheer as he made par on the 18th hole. Dressed in his iconic Sunday red, Woods acknowledged the crowd's support with a tip of his hat. At this tournament's conclusion, Woods found himself in last place among the 60 players who made the cut, a position he last experienced at the 2020 Genesis Invitational at Riviera.

The patrons' enthusiasm to witness Woods play speaks volumes about his influence on golf's popularity, even if his recent performances at Augusta National have not mirrored the dominance of his prime years. Since his remarkable fifth victory at Augusta in 2019 at age 43, Woods has struggled to find competitive form here. His participation in 2023 was notably cut short in the third round due to injuries exacerbated by adverse weather conditions.

However, Woods showed flashes of his former brilliance earlier in the week. He successfully made the cut for a record 24th time after playing the first two rounds at 1 over. Yet, the final two rounds proved challenging, with Woods recording an 82 on Saturday—his worst round at a major—to date. The final 36 holes saw him go 15 over, including a 77 on Sunday in what was his 100th career round at the Masters.

Before Sunday's round began, Woods was seen receiving swing tips from his 15-year-old son Charlie on the practice range. The tournament started promisingly for Woods but quickly became difficult. After playing the first two holes in 1 under, he encountered trouble on No. 3 and then faced significant setbacks on the par-4 fifth hole, leading to a triple-bogey 7.

Despite these challenges, Woods provided moments of excitement for fans, notably with a near chip-in from the sand on No. 16 that evoked memories of his iconic chip-in during his fourth championship win at Augusta in 2005. Playing alongside Neal Shipley—the only amateur to make the cut—highlighted an interesting juxtaposition given that Woods' streak of cuts made at the Masters began before Shipley was born.

Even though Woods was not contending for the title, his presence alone attracted large crowds of fans eager to catch a glimpse of a player who has become synonymous with golf itself. Every shot by Woods was met with applause and shouts of encouragement from fans who continue to support him through every high and low of his career.