Nike releases Tiger Woods’ uniform for a Masters he might not play

Tiger Woods, if he decides to play and is able make it to the final round of the Masters in two weeks (two huge “ifs”), will wear red and black on Sunday.

Shocker, right?

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when the azaleas are in bloom, a young golfer’s fancy turns to the Masters, and all the major golf apparel companies bombard us with that nonsensical “scripting” of what their big stars will wear as they sashay the fashion runway that is Amen Corner.

Those scrutinizing the Tiger tea leaves ought not read anything into Nike’s unveiling of what Woods will wear if he makes his first start since Feb. 5, when he withdrew midway through his first round at Torrey Pines and subsequently went missing. Nike released similar outfits for the then-world No. 1 last year around this time and the threads went Tiger-less as Woods missed the first Masters of his career to recover from back surgery.

This year the script is eerily similar and yet vastly different. Like 2014, the golf world awaits word from Jupiter (Florida, not the planet) as to whether the 14-time major winner will compete for that elusive 15th major and fifth green jacket. If he takes a pass this year, though, it will be because his game, not his body, is unhealthy, and that makes us wonder if we’ll ever see him again in competition -- at Augusta or anywhere else.

For sure, Woods will not be in San Antonio this week and the Shell Houston Open tournament director told SB Nation Monday morning that Team Tiger had not been in contact with anyone there. He has until 5 p.m. ET Friday to commit to a pre-Masters warmup, but the Golf Club of Houston is not one of Woods’ usual stomping grounds.

The signs, after he announced he would not play at Arnold Palmer’s just-completed event, all point to a Woods no-show at Augusta on April 9. But at least we know what he’ll wear if he does play -- or for those practice sessions at Medalist to get ready for whenever.

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