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Write Tiger off at your peril

AUGUSTA — So much for the widely-held view that Tiger Woods would do well to make the cut here at the 79th Masters. After playing 11 holes of practice on Monday, the former world No 1 expressed belief that he could win his 15th Major.

After playing 11 holes of practice on Monday, Woods believes he could win his 15th Major. Photo: AP

After playing 11 holes of practice on Monday, Woods believes he could win his 15th Major. Photo: AP

AUGUSTA — So much for the widely-held view that Tiger Woods would do well to make the cut here at the 79th Masters. After playing 11 holes of practice on Monday, the former world No 1 expressed belief that he could win his 15th Major.

And rather than laughing him off the property, those who witnessed his first public appearance on a golf course in two months were mostly minded to agree. There was none of the chipping mayhem that characterised his awful displays at Phoenix and Torrey Pines and featured a career-high round of 82.

Watched by huge crowds, Woods could easily have shot a 30 on the front nine and was understandably pleased after playing the 10th and 18th with the daylight fading.

“It’s been a process, but I’m on the good side now,” Woods said. “It’s progression. I felt like I had to get my game into a spot where I could compete to win a golf tournament, and it’s finally there.”

There was no sign of the lower-back complaint that forced his premature withdrawal at the Waste Management Open. That was not the reason that Woods chose to take another “indefinite leave of absence” from the game. That was mainly because of the state of his chipping.

“Chipping is fine. I wanted to test out some wedges out here,” Woods said. “That was why I was chipping a little bit more. It came down to a couple of different bounce settings because it’s different from Florida. We figured the right one out. I felt good. It was nice to get out here.”

Mark O’Meara, Woods long-time friend who accompanied him on one of golf’s most anticipated practice rounds, was certainly impressed.

“Never underestimate Tiger Woods,” O’Meara said. “I’m a huge fan, a friend and I care about him.

“It was good to be out there with him. I saw some good signs. His pitching looks a lot better. There’s a lot of pressure on him, but there is no reason that he should not have a good week this week.

“There are not many people who have played the game of golf like he has. The game of golf is better because of Tiger Woods. He is in a good place and I think he is fired up about it.

“He will be nervous on Thursday, but I think he will be fine. He hit a couple of shots that were a little off, but (had) a lot of quality shots.”

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