McIlroy is 10 behind on four-over after a 77 and only his biggest fans will still have faith that it is possible for him finally to complete the career grand slam on Sunday. But he will need a performance that perhaps even Woods, himself, would class as a miracle.

Except, Woods is adamant he can still prevail and who is anyone to argue after he once more redefined what is possible? Tiger Woods, Masters history-maker. More than a quarter of a century after becoming the youngest-winner and setting the biggest margin of victory, the veteran once more reopened the Augusta record books.

Woods being the ultimate winner, he will not regard this latest astonishing streak of longevity as highly as many of his fans. But in leaving behind his great friend Fred Couples and Gary Player, the 48-year-old at least recognised the merit of the feat.

“The cut record means a lot, because it is a testament to consistency,” Woods said, after his level par 72 put him on one-over and easily into the final two rounds. “To do this year after year, through injuries and everything else, is pretty difficult.”

Stopped on a dime. Tiger Woods gets one back on No. 8. #themasters pic.twitter.com/UZ708iiy1q

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 12, 2024

However, Woods is not content with merely that. Of course, he is not.  “This means I have a chance going into the weekend,” said the five-time champion. “I’m here. I have a chance to win the golf tournament. I got my two rounds in. Just need some food and some caffeine, and I’ll be good to go.”

Yes, Woods will forever rage against the dying of the ball flight. It is what keeps him such an enthralling figure in the game of golf. Some call him a ceremonial golfer nowadays, but the only ceremony he puts on is a quasi-religious sporting sermon in which he highlights that giving up is never acceptable.

Granted, he withdrew from last year’s Masters in the third round because of injury and also pulled out during the second round of the LA Open two months ago, in his only competitive appearance since Augusta in 2023.  Yet, let’s be honest, on both occasions no other golfer would have even been in attendance in the first place.

With all the money in the world – or that which does not belong to LIV anyway – and all the branded tee-pegs in China, Woods does not need to be doing this. But he is giving fans – or as they call them here, “patrons” – the blessed opportunity to see his iconhood in the flesh. Living and seething.

Believe it, this is no museum piece attraction, no nostalgia-fest akin to that Masters honorary starters’ guff  in which Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson dink it down the fairway, with their doffings of the caps and their pathe-reel memories. Woods will go down scrapping, not waving.

Woods’ pitching got him out of trouble repeatedly – Reuters/Mike Blake

For goodness sake, he had completed one competitive round in a year and had yet more surgery on a right leg that he almost lost in a car crash three years ago. And there he was, playing against the game’s elite and showing more short-game skill – and indeed heart – than many in this 89-man field.

He was up at 3.30am, yanking his broken body through the warm-ups it requires for him to be flexible enough for a challenge of this brutal nature. The problem was it was chilly when he resumed his first round at 7.45am and he was inevitably stiff. To reach one-under, he had delivered a few up-and-down lessons on Thursday, until the hooter went off to signal the end of play due to darkness in the weather-delayed opening day. He had five holes remaining.

It was tough going and a chunked approach at the 14th saw him drop a shot and then another poor approach on the 18th meant another bogey five and a one-over 73. He was clearly annoyed, but it was anything but straightforward.

Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open champion who won in atrocious conditions in 2019, called it the “probably the toughest two days of golf that I’ve played”. Lowry added: “It’s hard to hole putts. It’s hard to hit it close. The wind is all over the place. I’ve never seen it like this.

Jordan Spieth could attest to that. The 2015 champion, took a nine on the par-five 15th and Brian Harman, the reigning Open champion, shot an 82, finishing bogey, double-bogey, double-bogey. Disaster lurked amongst the pines. Bubba Watson, the two-time champion, was inside the cut mark before dropping eight shots in three holes from the 10th, including a quadruple-bogey eighth at the 11th.

Jon Rahm was one of the players left battered and bruised in howling winds – Reuters/Mike BlakeStrong winds blew sand from bunkers on the 18th – Getty Images/Jamie Squire

In contrast, Woods, as he claimed, is still in the ballgame and the galleries were appreciative to have him battling and refusing to accept the arena as too strenuous – mentally, technically and physically – for a 15-time major winner who, do nor forget, did the impossible here in 2019 when shrugging off back injuries which could have left him infirm.

There were four birdies and four bogeys and his ball-striking was comparable to playing partner Homa whose 71 . The trio are two clear of young Dane Nicolai Hojgaard. But once more, the focus was squarely on Woods dyeing medical convention, competitive convention and many other conventions besides

“I’m tired. I’ve been out for a while, competing, grinding,” Woods said. “It’s been a long 23 holes, a long day. But I’ve always loved playing here. I’ve been able to play here since I was 19 years old. It’s one of the honours

“I don’t take lightly, being able to compete. There’s such an aura and mystique about playing this golf course that unless you have played and competed here, you probably don’t really appreciate. And Lance [Bennett, his caddie] and I really did some good fighting today. We’ve got a chance.”

What would McIlroy give for that attitude around here. He holed a 18-footer on the last, but only for a par, and this five-over mediocrity was the first time he had not made a birdie at Augusta in eight years. Next to him, Scheffler was not on his game, but still managed to compile a level-par 72. He still looks ominous.