The first major of the 2025 season, the Masters, will be held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia between April 10 and April 13 – but a number of stars are facing last-minute injury worries
Rory McIlroy may have an injured elbow headed into the 2025 Masters(Image: Ross Kinnaird, Getty Images)
Golf enthusiasts might be raring to go for next week’s Masters, but some pros might be wishing they had a tad more prep time.
The prestigious first major of the year will tee up at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia from April 10 to April 13, in which, around 100 players will battle it out for a coveted green jacket. But as the Masters draws near, a handful of the globe’s best golfers are dealing with injuries that could jeopardise their shot at seizing the year’s first big title – with some stars having no choice but to sit out completely.
Tiger Woods
The twist of fate, of course, just ramps up the intrigue, leaving the door open wide for energetic newcomers and less-celebrated players to seize the limelight and possibly make headlines as the tournament unfolds. However, there may be less-than-stellar performances on the horizon too, thanks to a few stalwarts pushing through pain barriers.
Tiger Woods gave fans a flicker of hope about his possible return to the greens on Tuesday, writing on social media: “I can’t believe I am saying this, but a few weeks after rupturing my left Achilles, the sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber plus the explosive lifts my doctors and trainers have me ready to play the Masters next week!” reports the Mirror US.
However, the revelation on April 1 was just his idea of an April Fools’ prank, later returning to X to write: “P.S. April Fools my Achilles is still a mess.” The 15-time major winner hasn’t hit the fairways on the PGA Tour since last July’s missed cut at The Open, which was followed by micro-decompression surgery to free up nerve pressure on his spine in September.
Tiger Woods will not play in the Masters this year(Image: Getty Images)
Looking set for a return at The Genesis Invitational in February, Woods stepped back from golf due to the loss of his mother. Meanwhile, he last month shared news of having surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon owing to intense training and practice before the Masters – another setback in a string of injuries that have plagued his career. It unfortunately means the icon won’t be gracing the greens at the 2025 Masters.
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy, with four major titles under his belt, has been tearing it up in 2025 – seizing victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and nailing a win against JJ Spaun at last month’s Players Championship in a nail-biting play-off. Despite his stellar performance, the current World No. 2 faces the Masters with an elbow issue that could hamper his game.
McIlroy opened up to The Golf Channel about his physical condition as he prepares for Augusta, saying: “My right elbow has been bothering me a little bit, so I’ll maybe just get some treatment on that and make sure that is OK going into Augusta. I’ve got my coach, Michael Bannon, coming in [on Monday]; we’ll do some work and make sure everything is in good shape for a week’s time.”
Rory McIlroy has had issues with his elbow(Image: Getty Images)
Heading to Augusta, McIlroy is eager to be in prime shape, particularly with his sights set on securing his first major title in over a decade since his win at the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. Despite having two PGA Championships, a US Open, and an Open Championship under his belt, the Masters’ green jacket remains the one major trophy that McIlroy has yet to claim. His closest shot at the title came in 2022 when he finished just three strokes behind current World No. 1, Scottie Scheffler.
Bernhard Langer
PGA Tour Champions sensation Bernhard Langer has no grand expectations of clinching next week’s Masters at Augusta, which would add to his impressive roster of two titles there, but he candidly shared that his preparation might be impacted by his own Achilles injury. The 67-year-old legend had planned to bid adieu to the iconic tournament last year, however, a February Achilles injury thwarted him from participating.
Bernhard is now gearing up for what might be his final participation of the major at the 2025 Masters, despite the fact that walking proves to be a struggle at the moment. He explained: “To get back to where I was and I always thought I would come back, it was just a matter of when and how.
Bernhard Langer is heading back to Augusta(Image: Getty Images)
“So it was a long and tough process. It still is. I’m not 100 per cent and maybe I never will be, but walking is still difficult. So I’ve been riding a cart for the most part — well, walking 18 holes. I can walk, I’m okay walking nine holes, but then I get a little fatigued and stiff and all that kind of stuff. It’s still a process trying to get better in that department.
“I’m hoping to play great, and I have to play great to make the cut because the course is so long for me that nothing but great will do it. I’m coming in with two and three-irons where the other guys are hitting nine-irons on every hole, and that’s just hard to compete.”
Xander Schauffele
As for Xander Schauffele, the PGA Tour star had to take an eight-week break from the 2025 season owing to a painful rib injury which first emerged last December. Despite participating in the Sentry as the year kicked off, Schauffele felt the injury for the first time just before the festive period, which was later identified as an intercostal strain accompanied by a minor tear in the cartilage.
The 31-year-old opened up about his injury, explaining: “I wasn’t sitting there like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m in so much pain’. You know what I mean? It was sort of abrupt, like if I would wake up and roll over to grab my phone, or to grab something, or sneeze if I’m like sitting on the couch in a weird position.
Xander Schauffele has missed a number of events this year(Image: Getty Images)
“Stuff like that is kind of where I would remind myself like, ‘Oh, okay, I’m not great right now.'” After getting the all-clear from CT, MRI, and ultrasound scans, he made his comeback at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, finishing T40. Despite appearing to have recovered fully, the extended time off early in the season might mean he’s a bit off his game as the Masters approaches.
Scottie Scheffler
Schauffele isn’t alone in missing game time; Scheffler also had a mishap, injuring his right hand on Christmas Day while preparing ravioli. The accident required surgery to remove glass fragments after a wine glass he used to roll the dough broke.
Reflecting on the unfortunate event, Scheffler said: “It’s one of those deals where immediately after it happened I was mad at myself because I was like gosh, that’s so stupid, but you just don’t think about it when you’re in the moment. It really wasn’t like terrible, but I knew I kind of messed something up just because the way my hand wasn’t really moving much and if I did, it hurt pretty bad.
Scottie Scheffler injured his hand in December(Image: Getty Images)
“So I kind of knew something was up.” Scheffler subsequently sat out the Sentry and the American Express before making his PGA Tour comeback at Pebble Beach, where he finished T9. The 28-year-old is yet to secure a win in the six tournaments he’s competed in this season, but he’s setting his sights on a triumphant return to the Masters, where he’s previously won twice.
Jordan Spieth
For nearly two years, Jordan Spieth has been grappling with persistent wrist problems. After undergoing surgery last summer, the 31-year-old tweaked his wrist once more at Pebble Beach in late January.
Spieth recounted how he experienced pain after hitting a bunker shot on the tenth hole during his opening round, which led to his wrist to lock up. He explained: “I had to flick one and it jammed it pretty good, and it locked up on me for a little while.”
Jordan Spieth has had trouble with his wrist(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking at the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale the following week, he added: “My wrist kind of hurt in the first round last week and I went away from all the work that I had been doing just to kind of manipulate what I could, and then I said, you know what, I just have to get through it.
“So I was back to the status quo Sunday on all the stuff that I had been doing, and it paid off there.” While Spieth’s wrist has held up so far this season, barring the discomfort he experienced at Pebble Beach, it might take the American golfer some time to mentally adjust to playing Tour Golf again post-surgery.
