World golf number 11 Matt Kuchar believes the Masters will not suffer in the absence of world number one Tiger Woods next week.
Woods announced on Tuesday he would miss the Masters for the first time in his career after undergoing surgery on a pinched nerve in his back.
That completed an unwarranted career grand slam for the 38-year-old, who had previously missed the game’s other three major champion- ships through injury, most recently the US Open and Open championship in 2011.
“It’s the Masters,” said Kuchar, who was joint eighth at Augusta last year, at a pre-tournament press conference ahead of the Shell Houston Open. “It’s still the greatest golf tournament.
“We experienced a year without him. He is the centre of the PGA Tour sphere. He attracts the most eyeballs, the most attention, but there are a lot of great players out here and I think the tour held on quite well, stayed pretty healthy, while he was absent.
“Certainly, the Masters will not suffer. It’s definitely exciting. I think everyone wants Tiger to be healthy and playing well and in contention.
“I think most guys dream of taking Tiger down, battling him down the stretch at the Masters. We won’t have that chance this year but we’ll still have a chance to don a green jacket.”
Former Open champion Stewart Cink agreed with Kuchar, adding: “It will be a little different without him, but it’s still a great tournament.”
One of Woods’s former coaches, Hank Haney, believes the 14-time major winner will have to adapt his swing when he does return to action.
“Knowing the way he thinks and reacts, he’s going to find the easiest way that he can to swing with his back, which will probably mean he makes some changes to his swing,” said Haney.
“He’ll make adjustments. He’s good at that, he’s not scared to change. He’s not scared to try something different. The real question is, will he have the desire to practise, put in the work, and will his body allow him to do it? I think those are the two issues.”