AUGUSTA, Ga. — The solar emerged by way of a slender opening in a cloud-filled sky as Tiger Woods approached the primary tee on Thursday on the Masters Event. It solid the realm in a sort of glow. However the highlight was not wanted.
It already felt like each eye on the grounds at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership — in addition to tens of millions of others watching all over the world — had turned towards Woods, who was making an inconceivable return to elite golf 408 days after a horrific, probably life-threatening single-vehicle automotive crash.
Roughly 5 hours later, Woods marched up the 18th fairway to resounding applause, not solely an acknowledgment of his profitable return to aggressive golf, but in addition recognition that he had completed so at a more-than-commendable degree.
In his first skilled spherical in 17 months, Woods shot a gritty, plucky one-under-par 71 with three birdies and two bogeys. To make sure, he appeared rusty, and plenty of of his normally reliable iron photographs got here up in need of simply reachable greens. He was erratic off the tee together with his driver and performed Augusta Nationwide’s par 3s in two beneath and the par 5s in even par, the reverse of his typical sample.
However Woods’s placing, at all times his biggest power, repeatedly saved him. He left the 18th gap with a far wider smile than the considerably timid one he had briefly flashed on the primary gap.
Whereas Woods certainly appeared a bit out of form at occasions, he appeared hardy sufficient to resist the duress of strolling up and down Augusta Nationwide’s many hills. There have been, nevertheless, indicators that he was making concessions to his surgically rebuilt proper leg and foot, which now has a rod, plates and screws holding it collectively. He hardly ever, for instance, squatted behind his golf ball as he as soon as did to learn putts near the extent of the enjoying floor.
On the ninth gap, as Woods left the tee, he noticeably winced as his proper leg appeared to land awkwardly. He grimaced by way of every of the following a number of steps. Whereas Woods regained a steadier stride thereafter, he limped increasingly because the day went on.
Greater than 90 minutes earlier, Woods had marched confidently onto the primary tee, the place he was met with enthusiastic cheers. After tipping his cap, he hammered a drive towards the primary fairway. However his strategy shot, like many he struck on Thursday, got here up brief. After a mediocre pitch onto the inexperienced, Woods confronted the sort of putt no golfer relishes on the primary inexperienced — a slippery, breaking 12-footer. However he sank it for par, and the gallery across the inexperienced set free a roar.
He was not as sharp on the par-5 second gap, which had usually been a spot the place Woods may nearly rely on a birdie, if not an eagle. However an inferior tee shot led to a bailout, an unexceptional chip and a two-putt par. Three extra pars ensued as Woods settled into a cushty rhythm. Then, hitting from an elevated tee on the par-3 sixth gap, Woods artfully powered his tee shot excessive into the air. A couple of lengthy seconds later, it dropped onto the inexperienced and got here to a fast cease roughly 18 inches from the opening for a simple birdie.
Sitting at one beneath par, followers across the Augusta Nationwide grounds, the place the large white scoreboards are omnipresent, watched as Woods’s title appeared close to the highest of leaderboard. Extra roars.
Leaving the sixth inexperienced, Woods shrugged his shoulders impishly and coated his mouth to — barely — conceal a smile. Maybe contending for the lead on the Masters solely an hour after his return to the match appeared a little bit far-fetched, even for him.
However, starting with the seventh gap, recurring errors had Woods scrambling to maintain up with the leaders. For 5 holes, from the seventh to the eleventh, he squandered high quality tee photographs when he missed the inexperienced together with his strategy photographs.
Woods saved par with a nervy putt on the seventh inexperienced, however he didn’t come near sinking an 8-foot par putt on the par-5 eighth gap and exited together with his first bogey of the spherical.
On the ninth gap, he yanked his drive into the timber left of the golf green earlier than leaving one other strategy brief, although he once more saved par with a clutch putt. He did the identical when his strategy to the eleventh inexperienced went wayward. He had an uneventful two-putt par on the tiny, treacherous twelfth gap, then birdied the par-5 thirteenth gap after reaching the inexperienced in two strokes. That moved him to 1 beneath par for the spherical.
One other errant drive into the woods on the following gap introduced out the Tiger of previous as he took a ferocious swipe on the ball to get it over some mammoth pine timber in his path to the inexperienced. His putter, nevertheless, couldn’t save him, and he fell again to even par for the day with a bogey.
One other missed fairway led to a routine par on the par-5 fifteenth gap, however Woods, as he has so usually previously, saved a little bit drama for the par-3 sixteenth gap as he sank a twisting, uphill 23-foot putt for birdie. That sequence additionally prompted Woods’s first animated fist pump of the day.
A spherical within the 60s was not out of the query, however Woods managed solely a routine par on the seventeenth gap. On the closing gap, yet one more crooked drive derailed him momentarily. However the spherical completed with a flourish as he recovered to sink an 8-foot putt and safe an under-par spherical.
