AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods showed up for the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night in Augusta. That's as far as his shadow will stretch over this year's Masters. Woods, of course, is sitting out of the Masters with a faulty back. But that doesn't mean his ghost isn't traipsing the historic grounds here.
Phil Mickelson was asked if he noticed Woods' presence even in his absence.
"Well, it's not like we shared a house together, so I don't notice it that way," he joked. "I think we all appreciate what he's done for the game of golf over the years. We all miss him and want him back. He's a big part of the game even when he's not playing."
Yes, he is. Woods is the rare living legend who's still capable of winning golf tournaments (we think). Woods said Tuesday night on Twitter that he sat by his only peers when it comes to Augusta (Jack Nicklaus with six green jackets and Arnold Palmer with four) at dinner.
Pretty cool that at dinner tonight 3 of us sitting next to each other have won a combined 14 green jackets.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 6, 2016
This is one of the reasons guys like Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth want him back on the PGA Tour, especially at this tournament.
"I like Tiger being out here," said Johnson. "It's good for all of us. He obviously is one of the game's best players. Definitely, it helps all of us when he's out, so I'm ready for him to come back."
Added Spieth: "We played nine holes on Wednesday with Mr. Crenshaw [in 2015]. The back nine. That was really cool. Certainly picked his brain a little then." Spieth then went on to win the tournament Woods has owned for a two decades.
For now, though, and certainly for this year's tournament, all we have are highlights and memories. There's a chance Woods could once again make real life magic with his swing and his putter. But that's not a reality and likely won't be ever again.
"It is much different than the years Tiger dominated, I don't know, from 1997 to 2005 or 2007," said Rory McIlroy on Tuesday. "I don't know if we're going to see a 10-year stretch of golf like that in our lifetime. What he did in that time span was amazing."
Former Masters champion Adam Scott noted that, when Woods is out playing, sometimes it can feel like you're playing for second even when you're ahead.
"It's a different point in the game. I think it's going to be awhile before, or if ever, we see dominance like we saw from Tiger Woods," he explained. "The game's changed even in the last six or seven years since Tiger won his last major championship in lots of different ways."
Scott even said he pulls Woods' old stuff up on the Internet every now and then. Just to, like the rest of us, re-live it all. "The highlight reel, I watch it on YouTube at times," said Scott. "It is endless. All the great stuff that he has done. I was really fortunate to get some front row seats at times to getting to play with him throughout those years and watching it close up.
"As a fan, absolutely, it was special, and I think he made us believe it was going to go forever and ever. That was the incredible thing. You know, that's probably not the reality of it, but it went for such a long period of time that we thought it was. I look back on it as even more special now."
