'Why Wouldn't He Be A Favourite?' - Couples Says Tiger Woods Can Challenge For Another Masters Title At Augusta

Fred Couples says that if Tiger Woods can play regular golf without pain then there's no reason why he couldn't challenge for another Green Jacket in April

Tiger Woods and Fred Couples at the Masters
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Fred Couples is all-in on the Tiger Woods hype train as he believes another Green Jacket could be lying in wait if the latest comeback goes to plan.

As he returned to action at the Hero World Challenge, Woods said that a best-case scenario for him would see him tee it up for one tournament a month including the Majors.

Ankle fusion surgery has cleared Woods of the major source of discomfort he felt while walking the golf course - although the extent of his injuries and surgeries needed following his car accident mean he'll always have his problems.

The 15-time Major champion has always said swinging the club was never the biggest issue, so if he has found a way to walk four rounds of tournament golf without pain then this latest comeback could stick.

And Couples is in no doubt that if Woods can play regular golf without problems then there's no reason why he wouldn't be able to challenge for the Masters title next April. 

"He's won his whole life, and if he feels as healthy and as good as it sounds..." Couples said on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio.

"I don't think in the last year or so he really sounded this good. He's fresh.

"If he can possibly play once a month and show up at Augusta, why wouldn't he be a favourite?"

Couples is a big friend of Woods so knows his game well, but he's also an expert around Augusta as a Green Jacket winner in 1992 and a name that has regularly popped up near the top of the leaderboard even in his advancing years.

And despite changes over the years, Augusta National is the ultimate horses for courses track, so if Woods was ever able to add to his 15 Majors then you'd think the Masters would be the most likely.

Five of Woods' 15 Major titles have come at Augusta, it's where he capped a previous remarkable comeback with victory in 2019 and he even made the cut in 2022 just over a year after his car crash.

We'll have to see how he reacts to a return to golf first, and Woods has his doubters as well as his believers - it's pretty clear which camp Couples falls into.

Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.