Masters: Tiger Wood’s sensational return has stirred the soul of golf as he holds the beacon again

Even the most ardent of golf followers would have to concede it has been a bruising few months for the sport. 

Tennis gave us the fairytale romance of Emma Raducanu’s US Open win and the Royal and Ancient game responded with the spectacular downfall of Phil Mickelson.

F1’s new audience of Netflix nerds got to witness an epic duel in glamorous places around the globe and golf offered the awful prospect of a circuit of Saudi sportswashers making easy millions.

No one could complain that golf slipped down the sporting agenda as a consequence.

Tiger Woods’ return to the Masters has stirred the soul of golf after a bruising few months

The downfall of Phil Mickelson and the prospect of a Saudi league has damaged the sport

Now — at last — some news to stir the soul. A story filled with human drama that transcends not only the boundaries of the game but sport itself. All in time for the start of a new season of majors, at the venue where the game invariably puts its best foot forward.

Over the past 25 years, golf has had countless reasons to thank the heavens that Earl Woods chose this game for his son rather than others.

Now, after all this time, it is Tiger again who’s holding the beacon high, ready to shine a light upon a first round of the Masters that promises to be like no other.

At 46, the same age as Jack Nicklaus when he became the oldest winner in 1986, it is Woods who is left, right and centre.

Woods is holding the beacon high, ready to shine a light upon a first round of the Masters

At 46, Woods is the same age as Jack Nicklaus (right) when he became the oldest winner in 1986

The weather gods are certainly not going easy on the miracle man. Some two inches of rain were dumped on the course on Tuesday following a series of thunderstorms, turning an arduous walk into an even more punishing one.

Over the next four days, there will be gusty winds and cool temperatures, hardly ideal for a man who has had five back operations.

Yet he looks remarkable. Did all the months away from the game and the twisted movements it demands have the unforeseen benefit of helping his back, following the operation he had just before his fateful car accident 14 months ago?

His move through the ball is freer than at his last major — the 2020 Masters. Who knows how he will do. Every golfing logic known to man or woman says he hasn’t a prayer of even making the halfway cut.

But do you honestly think Tiger would be here if all he thought he was doing was giving his army of patrons the chance to walk 36 holes in his company? That’s even more illogical.

He wasn’t indulging in delusions of grandeur when he said in his Tuesday press conference that he was hitting the ball just fine.

Over nine holes on Monday he was keeping up with Justin Thomas, a medium to long hitter, off the tee.

Woods was keeping up with Justin Thomas (left) during Monday’s practice round

In some ways, watching Tiger now is more rewarding than in his prime. The ferocity with which he once attacked the ball has been replaced by necessity with a far more graceful action.

This morning he will play alongside Louis Oosthuizen, the man with arguably the most elegant swing in the men’s game, and watching them will be a treat.

Ultimately, does anyone outside the ropes really care how he fares, when placed alongside the feelgood factor of simply seeing him in the field?

It will be enough if he comes through what promises to be an ordeal feeling like he can repeat the experience in the majors to come, which will all take place between now and mid-July.

The US PGA Championship will be played at Southern Hills in Tulsa next month, the scene of Tiger’s 13th major victory in 2007. The 150th Open is at St Andrews in July, where he won in 2000 and 2005. The US Open is at Brookline, where he was part of America’s Ryder Cup-winning side in 1999.

Such has been his electrifying presence so far, the other 90 competitors have had barely a look-in.

Rory McIlroy summed it up perfectly. ‘I knew Tiger had reached the first tee when we were on the ninth green because suddenly our gallery for the back nine went from thousands to virtually nobody,’ he said, smiling. Jon Rahm has barely had a mention — and he’s the tournament favourite.

McIlroy, Rahm and the rest won’t mind about that. Better that they could get all their prep work done under the radar.

The Masters is not kind to the man who goes in as favourite. If Rahm does win, he will become the first so favoured by the bookmakers to get both arms in a green jacket since Tiger — who else — in 2005.

There’s an argument for saying the Spaniard has been bubbling under so far this season.

In eight tournaments on the PGA Tour, he’s finished in the top 21 on seven occasions. His ball-striking has been of the requisite standard but his usually reliable putting has been woeful. Do you suddenly find your putting stroke again on these silky surfaces?

Outside Rahm and perhaps Viktor Hovland, it’s hard to make a convincing case for a European victory at the place where their golfers were once kings.

Rahm and Justin Rose were the only two to finish in the top 10 last year and it will be a pleasant surprise if there’s a more abundant representation this time.

Perhaps the cool and windy weather might help.

It’s hard, though, to look beyond the formidable corps of players from the United States. Led by the new world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, you could make a case for nearly all the men who swamped Europe at the Ryder Cup last September.

Scheffler, Thomas and Masters specialist Jordan Spieth appear to be attracting the most attention, but it’s surely time for the self-proclaimed Bash Brothers, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, to re-emerge into the spotlight.

Then there’s Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele — major-winners in waiting.

There’s only one place to start today, however, and one man to follow.

When he last played in this event in the November Masters in 2020, Tiger suffered the indignity of a 10 on the par-three 12th, his worst-ever score on a hole at the Masters.

He followed it with five birdies in six holes, including the last four.

Tiger always gives you something at Augusta. This morning, he’s ready to lift his sport from the doldrums and put it on the front pages as well as the back.