Tiger Woods Makes Return to Masters After Serious Accident
2022-04-08
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1Tiger Woods returned to professional golf on Thursday morning when he hit his first shot at The Masters.
2Woods, 46, suffered a serious injury to his right leg in a California car accident in February 2021.
3Some reports said doctors thought of cutting off, or amputating, his leg instead of repairing it.
4Just 14 months later, Woods is back on the famous Augusta National course in the U.S. state of Georgia.
5Woods has been playing on the course since 1995 and won the Masters tournament five times, most recently in 2019.
6Last year's winner was Hideki Matsuyama of Japan.
7Thousands of people watched Woods hit his first shot.
8A big moment came on the sixth hole, when Woods made birdie,
9which means he finished with one shot fewer than required.
10Many observers who saw Woods recently said he was playing well.
11They had one question: Can his leg handle 8 kilometers of walking each day during The Masters?
12That equals about 11,000 steps up and down the hilly course.
13Also, golfers must hit shots from ground that is not flat, or out of sand or pine needles.
14On Tuesday, Woods said: "Walking is the hard part."
15Curtis Strange is a former golf champion.
16He said he always felt pain in his lower legs after playing Augusta National, and he did not have metal plates and rods in his leg like Woods.
17Woods said playing 72 holes is "a tough challenge" that he was ready to face.
18Golfers play 18 holes a day over four days at The Masters.
19Woods has yet to play the course for more than one day since the accident and it could be physically stressful for his leg.
20Healthy, young players say the tournament comes with additional stress.
21Scottie Scheffler is the top golfer in the world this year.
22He was a few months old when Woods won his first Masters 25 years ago.
23Scheffler said, "I think most of the stress that we have is probably more mental than physical."
24Woods, however, said he is more concerned about how his body will feel than his mind.
25For his body to feel better, Woods is making one important change: his shoes.
26Woods is paid to wear golf shoes by Nike.
27But this year he is wearing more comfortable shoes from a different maker.
28Woods said he thinks can play well enough to win.
29Otherwise, he said, he would not play.
30"I feel like I can still do it," he said.
31"I've been in worse situations and played and won tournaments," said Woods, remembering the U.S. Open he won in 2008 with a serious knee injury.
32But he was only 32 then.
33He then compared walking the course, with its hills, to a difficult marathon.
34I'm Dan Friedell
1Tiger Woods returned to professional golf on Thursday morning when he hit his first shot at The Masters. 2Woods, 46, suffered a serious injury to his right leg in a California car accident in February 2021. Some reports said doctors thought of cutting off, or amputating, his leg instead of repairing it. 3Just 14 months later, Woods is back on the famous Augusta National course in the U.S. state of Georgia. 4Woods has been playing on the course since 1995 and won the Masters tournament five times, most recently in 2019. Last year's winner was Hideki Matsuyama of Japan. 5Thousands of people watched Woods hit his first shot. A big moment came on the sixth hole, when Woods made birdie, which means he finished with one shot fewer than required. 6Many observers who saw Woods recently said he was playing well. They had one question: Can his leg handle 8 kilometers of walking each day during The Masters? That equals about 11,000 steps up and down the hilly course. Also, golfers must hit shots from ground that is not flat, or out of sand or pine needles. 7On Tuesday, Woods said: "Walking is the hard part." 8Curtis Strange is a former golf champion. He said he always felt pain in his lower legs after playing Augusta National, and he did not have metal plates and rods in his leg like Woods. 9Woods said playing 72 holes is "a tough challenge" that he was ready to face. Golfers play 18 holes a day over four days at The Masters. Woods has yet to play the course for more than one day since the accident and it could be physically stressful for his leg. 10Healthy, young players say the tournament comes with additional stress. Scottie Scheffler is the top golfer in the world this year. He was a few months old when Woods won his first Masters 25 years ago. 11Scheffler said, "I think most of the stress that we have is probably more mental than physical." Woods, however, said he is more concerned about how his body will feel than his mind. 12For his body to feel better, Woods is making one important change: his shoes. Woods is paid to wear golf shoes by Nike. But this year he is wearing more comfortable shoes from a different maker. 13Woods said he thinks can play well enough to win. Otherwise, he said, he would not play. 14"I feel like I can still do it," he said. "I've been in worse situations and played and won tournaments," said Woods, remembering the U.S. Open he won in 2008 with a serious knee injury. But he was only 32 then. 15He then compared walking the course, with its hills, to a difficult marathon. 16I'm Dan Friedell 17Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 18Do you think Tiger Woods will be able to finish the tournament? Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 19Words in This Story 20round -n. a completion of 18 golf holes 21sand - n. tiny, loose pieces of rock that cover beaches and deserts, also used as a surface in golf 22pine needles - n. thin, sharp leaves that grow on pine or evergreen trees 23plate - n. a flat piece of metal used to repair broken bones 24rod - n. a long, round piece of metal that can be attached to help a broken bone heal 25challenge - n. a difficult task 26stressful - adj. a way of describing an anxious or worrisome situation 27marathon - n. a long run of about 42 kilometers, a hard task that lasts a long time