How will Tiger Woods fare at the Masters?
After Tiger Woods announced Friday that he will be returning to the Masters, many are "trying to grab the scoop" on the four-time Masters champion.
"To come to Augusta, to the Masters, with that challenge, you know, the severity of that golf course out there is pretty serious, so he must feel pretty darn good to take it on," CBS Sports' lead golf analyst Sir Nick Faldo said Monday on "CBS This Morning." "This is not the place, as I would say, to come out of curiosity. You have got to believe you've got some game. He obviously believes he can step back in there and play really well."
In February, Woods competed at the Phoenix Open, where he shocked observers with his poor chipping and the worst score of his career. Soon after at Torrey Pines, he had to walk off the course after 11 holes because of tightness in his back.
Faldo said a number of things could be affecting Woods, including his confidence, which has been "chipped away" over the last four or five years. At the Masters, "you've got to have 100 percent self-belief" because there are some shots at Augusta National Golf Club where there is no bailout.
"It's Tiger's determination to get back into things. He's fallen for the first time outside the top 100 in the world," Faldo said.
There are at least a dozen who are playing "really well," he said, including Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, Sweden's Henrik Stenson, and Americans Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and J.B. Holmes.
"My goodness! It's really, really strong at the top end of the board," Faldo said. "Rory has had a couple of weeks off, which is interesting. Jordan Spieth has been playing great, week in, week out. Don't forget Jimmy Walker as well. He's got all the credentials for it."
Woods knows how well his competitors are playing, Faldo said.
"Even if Tiger got back to playing, the best Tiger could play now, I don't think it's as good as what these top dozen guys are playing currently because they're all warmed up," he said. "They're all playing great every week. Tiger's coming in very cold, so it will be very interesting how well he gets on."
