Jon Rahm recalls an ‘inspiring’ Tiger Woods being put on the clock at the Masters
Tiger Woods was in severe discomfort during this year’s Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club. Interestingly, fellow PGA Tour star Jon Rahm has now recalled the five-time Masters champion's efforts at the event and has dubbed them as being "inspiring."
Woods was seen struggling to move with his surgically repaired right leg. The legendary golfer’ return to the competition after his February 2021 car accident was a painful experience for him and his fans. It got worse as officials went on to slap him with a warning for slow play on the par-4 seventh hole.
Jon Rahm, who was paired with Woods that Sunday in the fifth group, has now recalled the incident. Recalling Woods’ obvious discomfort at the event, Rahm said that he shouldn’t have been on the clock. However, the Spaniard went on to laud Woods' efforts at the event.
Jon Rahm played the final round of this year's Masters alongside Tiger Woods. He detailed what it was like when they were put on the clock.
"We all looked at the official, like, he can't walk any faster." bit.ly/3AYAnb3 https://t.co/CO4ls4rExh
Speaking to the media about Tiger Woods at the Hero World Challenge in Albany, Jon Rahm said:
“We all looked at the official, like, ‘He can’t walk any faster, let’s be honest.’ Like, he was already doing an amazing job of trying to move up and down those hills.”
Tiger Woods was in pain at the Masters, Jon Rahm says
According to Rahm, Tiger Woods didn’t mind it. The ace golfer, who competed in the PGA Championship in May and the Open Championship in July this year, put forth an astounding effort after he was put on the clock. As per the Spaniard, the 15-time major winner was adamant about completing the round on time.
He added:
“We all joked around with the official, and then when he turned around, Tiger takes off,” the 28-year-old Spaniard said, “and I’m looking at my caddie, like, well, this is incredible.”
Rahm went on to add that he was inspired by Tiger Woods that day.
He said:
“We saw the reality afterwards that the cameras don’t see. He puts on a bit of a show for the camera, like, he’s not going to show how much he’s really hurting. But when we finished scoring, just seeing him stand up and move around that room when there’s nobody watching, there was a difference. Especially after playing 18 holes and after sitting down when your legs cool off a little bit, it changes.
It's really inspiring. How many surgeries has he had where he was written off? He was done, he's not playing again, [and then] he's not only come back and won tournaments, right? It seems right now that we might be reaching that point, but I don't put anything past him. He surprised me before, and he surprised a lot of people before.”
I didn’t play my best out there, but just to have the support and appreciation from all the fans, I don’t think words can describe that. Congratulations to Scottie Scheffler on an outstanding win. It’s been a special run. https://t.co/8BAMJKlGFY
Rahm went on to add that he wished Tiger Woods could contend in major championships again. The 2018 Hero World Challenge winner stated that he wanted the legendary golfer to return from injuries and continue competing.
It is pertinent to note that the ongoing Hero event in the Bahamas is set to be Woods’ big comeback. However, the golfer was forced to pull out of the event at the last minute due to a foot injury. He was replaced by World No. 29 Sepp Straka, who is currently competing against Rahm in Albany.