Infotainment Factory: Tiger takes home unwanted new record from Masters

Tiger Woods finished the Masters on Sunday with a record he could do without, walking off the course with a 16-over 304, his highest 72-hole score in a professional career that spans three decades.

His previous high was 302 at the Memorial in 2015, with Woods only failing to break 300 one other time at the Masters two years ago when he shot 78-78 on the weekend and finished at 301.

Despite the score, Woods called it a “good week" and said he's going to begin preparing for the other three majors including the PGA Championship in May, the U.S. Open in June and the British Open in July.

“This is a golf course I knew going into it, so I’m going to do my homework going forward at Pinehurst, Valhalla and Troon ... that’s kind of the game plan," he said.

“Coming in here, not having played a full tournament in a very long time, it was a good fight on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted."

It hardly mattered to the crowd.

The 48-year-old Woods, who is still dealing with the effects of numerous surgeries that have impacted his body and limited his playing time on the PGA Tour, received a huge roar from the crowd as he pitched close to the hole on No. 18 and made par.

Wearing his traditional Sunday red, Woods tipped his hat the crowd.

The five-time champ had only played 24 holes going into the Masters, but hopes to continue building for some of the other big events this year.

“I’m just going to keep lifting, keep the motor going, keep the body moving, keep getting stronger, keep progressing,” he said.

“Hopefully the practice sessions will keep getting longer.”

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Woods was in last place among the 60 players who made the cut when he finished. The previous time he finished in last place was in the 2020 Genesis Invitational at Riviera.

Still, the patrons flocked to see the man who took golf's popularity to new heights, even if he isn't been the dominant player he once was at Augusta National.

Woods hasn't really been competitive here since 2020 when he finished tied for 38th one year after his stunning fifth victory at age 43.

He finished 13 over two years ago, then was forced to withdraw in 2023 in the third round due to injuries that weren't helped by the cold, rainy weather that had taken an obvious physical toll on his body.

For a short time this week Woods showed glimpses of past greatness, relying mostly on his knowledge of the course.

He played the first two rounds in 1 over to make the cut for a record 24th time. But the final two rounds were a struggle for Woods, who posted his worst round of his career at a major with an 82 on Saturday.

“What it was doing out here to the golf shots and the balls and putting, how difficult the course was playing - it doesn’t take much to get out of position here," he said.

"Unfortunately, I got out of position a lot (Saturday) and a couple times today.”

The once-dominant Woods played with Neal Shipley, the only amateur to make the cut at the Masters. It was a stark reminder of just how long Woods has been around.