74 golf digest | issue 4. 2020
that he was back. I remember
thinking, Hang on—I know
this guy.
adam scott: The whole thing
was building. He came back.
He was swinging the club well.
He was contending again. He
won the Tour Championship.
It was all part of a progression.
joe lacava (Woods’ caddie,
on Tiger withdrawing from
Arnold Palmer’s tournament
in Orlando a month before
the Masters): At the time,
I was disappointed because
I really felt like he hadn’t
played enough tournament
golf going in.
● ● ●
Woods subsequently played
in the WGC-Match Play and
advanced from group play,
then defeated Rory McIlroy
in the round of 16 before
being eliminated by Lucas
Bjerregaard, then finished T-30
at the Players Championship.
● ● ●
joe lacava: Let me tell you
something: His weeks are a lot
tougher than anybody else’s.
He put in so much time in
Florida before the Masters—at
the house and Medalist [Golf
Club]. He worked his butt off.
He was 43, not 23.
tiger woods: This stuff is
hard.
rob mcnamara (vice president
for Woods’ TGR Ventures, on
a trip to Augusta National
before the tournament that in-
cluded a round with Jeff Knox,
a member who has competed
as a marker at the Masters
and in 2014 beat McIlroy
head-to-head, 70-71): The last
few times that the group of us
have played together, it’s been
Knox and me versus Tiger.
We played from the back tees,
which, 7,500 yards and my slap
cut, it’s way too long. But we’re
pretty competitive. Last year,
Tiger destroyed us. He shot
maybe five or six under on the
front and didn’t miss a shot.
Knox kept looking at me like,
We gotta play better. So that’s
obviously a good sign. We saw a
little preview in that 65.
tiger woods: My swing hadfinally turned the corner.
I was trying to make sure that
I could hit a high draw and call
upon it with driver, 3-wood,
5-wood, any club in the bag.
I somehow found it.LOW-KEY STRATEGY
joe lacava (on Tiger arriving
at Augusta on Sunday and
limiting his practice to
chipping and putting):
I try to leave Tiger alone as
much as I possibly can, but
I texted him earlier in the week
and suggested we do that. Just
being out there in peaceful
scenery with nobody around,
as late as possible on a Sunday.
Being able to actually enjoy
it a little instead of being out
there Monday when you’re
grinding and everybody
wants a picture, and it’s a
complete zoo. I said, “Me,
you and Rob, and that’s it.
Grab a couple wedges and
a putter, whatever.”... You
know, typical Tiger, he didn’t
text me back.