Masters 2026: When does 90th Masters at Augusta National start? Here are latest updates on Tiger Woods' participation

Masters 2026 at Augusta National is beginning this Thursday. The million dollar question is whether legendary golfer Tiger Woods will be back at Augusta National Golf Club for 90th Masters from April 9 to April 12. No player has won the Masters in consecutive years since Tiger Woods in 2001-02. Before that, only Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) have pulled off the Augusta double. In 2019, Tiger Woods topped the prestigious Masters leaderboard.

Fifty-year-old Woods has won 15 majors and owns 82 wins on Tour, tied for the all-time lead with Sam Snead. The ​World Golf Hall of Fame member's most recent victory was at the 2019 Zozo Championship.

Woods has not played in an official event since the 2024 Open Championship. He ruptured his left Achilles tendon last spring and underwent lumbar disk replacement surgery in October.


Masters 2026: Will Tiger Woods Participate?

For Tiger Woods, another arrest on charges of driving under the influence has put golf on hold. Woods was driving at “high speeds” on March 27 along a beachside, residential road in Jupiter Island not far from his home, when he clipped the trailer of a pressure cleaning truck, authorities said.

Woods' Land Rover rolled onto its side, but he managed to crawl out without any injuries. Woods told a deputy that he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station when he hit the trailer. Woods denied drinking alcohol or taking any illegal substances, a deputy said.

There will be no chance of a return to the Masters next week. No Ryder Cup captaincy in 2027. Golf is being pushed to the side while Woods seeks treatment following his crash a week ago in Florida.

Woods will miss the Masters 2026 for a second straight year. Woods has not played an official event since the 2024 British Open, but he remains one of golf’s most influential figures.

While it was unlikely he would be in shape for this year's Masters before the crash, he said just days earlier that he had hopes of playing even though his body doesn't recover like it once did.

Woods also won't be joining Masters chairman Fred Ridley to celebrate the opening of a refurbished municipal course that involved Woods, or for the prestigious Masters Club dinner for champions.

On Wednesday, Woods formally turned down the Ryder Cup captaincy for 2027.