For the first time since 1994, the Masters will be played without the presence of its two most defining modern icons, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, as world’s elite golfers decend upon at Augusta National.
Woods, 50, is on an indefinite break from golf while seeking treatment following a recent car crash while Mickelson, 55, cited a family health matter for his decision to withdraw.
That means there will be two empty seats at the table when former Masters winners gather this week for the Champions Dinner in the clubhouse at Augusta National Golf Club.
“Obviously there’s two that won’t be with us this year, which is a shame, but hopefully they will be with us in the future, and I’m sure they will be with us in the future,” defending champion Rory McIlroy told reporters.
Woods and Mickelson sat atop the golf world beginning in the late 1990s and through the 2010s. Between them they produced a highlight reel that could fill a museum.
Even when both men were well past the prime of their careers, their presence alone was enough to send fans scrambling for a glimpse — stretching over gallery ropes, screaming their names, hoping just to make contact.
Woods, who won the most recent of his five Masters in 2019, withdrew from this year’s tournament following a rollover crash less than two weeks ago when he was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence. He entered a plea of not guilty.
Three-times Masters winner Mickelson, meanwhile, bowed out late last week, saying he will be sidelined for “an extended period of time” due to a personal health matter in his family.