Absence of Woods and Mickelson from Masters felt around Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 7 : For three decades at the Masters, the roars that echoed loudest off the towering pines at Augusta National belonged to two men.

This week, for the first time since 1994, neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson will be there to summon them — and golf is quietly reckoning with what that means.

It is a jarring reality for fans who have come to associate the year's first major not just with pristine fairways and Sunday drama, but with the electric crackle that follows those two names as they navigate their way around the course.

Woods, 50, is on an indefinite break from golf while seeking treatment following a recent car crash while Mickelson, 55, cited a family health matter for his decision to withdraw.

That means there will be two empty seats at the table when former Masters winners gather this week for the Champions Dinner in the clubhouse at Augusta National Golf Club.

"Obviously there's two that won't be with us this year, which is a shame, but hopefully they will be with us in the future, and I'm sure they will be with us in the future," defending champion Rory McIlroy told reporters.

'THEIR STATURE IS WAY MORE ELEVATED'

Even when both men were well past the prime of their careers, their presence alone was enough to send fans scrambling for a glimpse — stretching over gallery ropes, screaming their names, hoping just to make contact.

As 2025 Masters runner-up Justin Rose put it this week: "Whether they're 1,000 in the world or 500 in the world or whatever current rankings may be, their stature is way more elevated than that in the game of golf and always will be.

"Yeah, it's always a loss to not have either of them in a field anywhere."

The circumstances of their absences could hardly be more