Tiger Woods says no to sex for Masters Tournament

Tiger Woods is said to participate in the 2024 Masters Tournament. Photo by Reuters

"He’s focused," a friend of Woods told New York Post. "He’s working really hard in the gym. He’s eating right. He’s even eliminated sex. He does that now when he’s preparing: no sex until the tournament is over."

Woods isn’t the first athlete to refrain from sexual activity before competition. In boxing, the great Muhammad Ali said he used to stay away from sex for six weeks before important fights, while Mike Tyson was even more extreme, as he said in his prime he didn’t have sex in five years. The same measure was also applied by the English national football team for the 2010 World Cup, as well as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, Mexico and Russia in the 2014 edition.

The Masters Tournament is the first event in the current "four majors" of men's golf, exclusively owned and organized by Augusta National in Georgia, the U.S. since 1934. Woods first attended the Masters in 1995, when he was still an amateur. Two years later, he was crowned champion of the prestigious competition.

Woods has won five Masters titles out of 15 tournaments, most recently in 2019.

Over the past 29 years, he has only been absent once, at the 2021 edition, due to serious injuries in a traffic accident two months earlier. Since that incident, Woods has become weaker, especially in his legs, and he has had to limit his playing time.

When returning to the Masters, Woods finished 47th in 2022. Last year, he escaped elimination but withdrew in the third round due to health reasons.

This time, the organizers announced Woods as a lifetime player of the tournament due to his achievements, but the 48-year-old has not yet officially confirmed his participation in the event. However, the living golf legend has been practicing on the Augusta National course.

On Golfweek, another close friend of Woods’ said the former world number one has tried to find a way to quickly recover to his best form for the Masters. Woods himself doesn’t know whether he is fit enough to play round after round in his current health, especially with his waist and left ankle losing flexibility.

In August 2024, Woods’ pro golf career will reach the 28-year mark. During his incredible reign, he underwent surgery at least 10 times for golf-related injuries, five of which were in his left knee, and the rest were in his back.