Rory McIlroy: Tiger Woods playing in Masters would be 'monumental achievement'

Rory McIlroy’s latest update on Tiger Woods is only going to further excite golf fans and increase hopes of a Woods return at The Masters.

McIlroy spent time with Woods recently and came away amazed at Woods’ progress as he recovers from a February 2021 car crash. McIlroy confirmed that Woods is at least exploring the possibility of playing at The Masters next week, but he added that the legendary golfer is being cautious as he sees what his body can take.

“It’s unbelievable,” McIlroy told Kira Dixon of Golf Channel. “I spent some time with him a few weeks ago at his house, and at that point it didn’t look possible. He’s definitely made a lot of big strides over the last few weeks. I saw him yesterday at Augusta, he looked great … he’s being very conservative, but he’s doing everything he can to see if he can play. ... It would be a monumental achievement.

“It’s great to see him up and back and just considering playing next week is a great thing.”

Woods has been quiet about a possible return, but has been practicing and plans to do the same at Augusta. This has been enough to get golf fans excited, and understandably so.

As recently as February, Woods downplayed an imminent return. Based on McIlroy’s comments, however, an appearance at The Masters cannot be completely ruled out.