Tiger continues to keep crowds roaring at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - When Tiger Woods is at Augusta National Golf Club, it’s a completely different energy.

You never have to ask where Tiger is because you can just follow the sound of the Tiger roars.

“The crowd was just cheering on one, almost a standing ovation,” said John and Cheryl Bieltz.

Ann Collins said: “They were all screaming ‘Tiger’ and hooting and stuff.”

In Round 1 of this year’s Masters Tournament, he teed off at 10:18 a.m. Thursday, but patrons were there way before that to make sure they got a good spot to see him tee off.

Patrins don’t know how much longer he’ll be playing, so they want to see him.

There are few people who can walk with the confidence of Tiger Woods at Augusta National. Even an injured Tiger has more swagger than any of us mere mortals could dream of.

“It’s amazing how much that gentleman has gone through between his back and his leg,” said patron John Kennedy, who’s at his 20th Masters.

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It isn’t his swing that’s the trouble as he continues to recover. He’s feeling good about that. He says it’s the walking between. It’s why he took a rest day Wednesday, instead of practicing or playing the Par 3 Contest.

“No one really realizes how much you have to go up and down on this course. We’ve been coming for 20 years,” Kennedy said. “We didn’t go down to Amen Corner today because it’s too down, and then you have to come back up.”

But patrons know never to count Tiger Woods out; 2019 taught us that. And especially not here, where experience and course knowledge count.

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