Hardy On The Masters: Going To Be Tough For Tiger Woods To Compete
BOSTON (CBS) - With the 2015 Masters golf tournament hours away from commencement, Rob "Hardy" Poole joined Zolak & Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub Wednesday to preview the upcoming weekend of golf.
Heading into the first major golf event of the year, Tiger Woods has slipped out of the world's top 100 golfers but into the tournament field at Augusta, where he has had previous success.
"He's got four of his fourteen majors on this one golf course, so yes it stands to reason that this is his favorite place to win a big, big tournament," said Hardy.
Woods' decision to play comes after he announced an indefinite leave of absence earlier this year due to a struggling swing and lingering back injury.
Woods' last major victory came in 2008 at Torrey Pines, where he memorably played through grimacing knee pain to defeat Rocco Mediate in a sudden-death playoff hole. Woods will be paired with former world No. 1 European Ryder Cup standout Jamie Donaldson and American Jimmy Walker in the first two rounds beginning Thursday.
Hardy spoke about how the landscape of the Augusta National golf course caters to players who can hit the ball longer distances consistently, something that could hinder a deep run into Sunday for Tiger Woods.
"They've lengthened the course to such an extent. You look at some of the holes -- 18 is a great example where the longest hitters now have the advantage on that hole. And coming into 18 where you really need to make a number, guys are longer than Tiger now," said Hardy.
Listen below for the full discussion:
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