Tiger Woods’ comeback: Teeing off at the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. –

Tiger Woods enjoying the Masters once more, his shirt as pink because the azaleas at Augusta Nationwide, would have been sufficient motive to have fun Thursday.

It felt that strategy to him, too.

Woods twirled his membership after good photographs, and there have been sufficient. He pumped his fist after his longest birdie putt. After which normalcy gave strategy to actuality when he used his wedge as a strolling stick for his once-battered and now weary legs for a remaining climb towards the 18th inexperienced.

One other par save for a 1-under 71, 4 photographs behind Sungjae Im.

However this wasn’t nearly a rating. Woods was competing in a serious, the primary time in 508 days since a automotive crash some 14 month in the past that shattered his proper leg. That a lot was clear when requested if merely having the ability to play felt like a victory. His reply: “Sure.”

“In case you would have seen how my leg appeared to the place it is at now, the images — a few of the guys know; they’ve seen the images — to see the place I have been, to get from there to right here, it was no straightforward process,” Woods stated.

It would not determine to get any simpler the remainder of the best way.

Nonetheless to come back is Friday, the primary time he could have walked 18 holes at Augusta Nationwide on consecutive days because the accident with what he described as “a number of ice” in between.

Forward of him are a group of gamers who’ve gained majors, who’ve gained at Augusta, and who’ve spent the final yr honing their video games as a substitute of determining tips on how to get from a hospital mattress to discovering pleasure within the easy pleasure of strolling.

Im, the 24-year-old South Korean recognized for not often lacking the centre of the membership face, ran off three straight birdies initially, recovered from a pair of bogeys with a 12-foot eagle putt on the thirteenth and added a late birdie for a 5-under 67.

He was one shot forward of Cameron Smith, enjoying for the primary time since successful The Gamers Championship a month in the past. The Aussie with the mullet had probably the most dynamic spherical of the day together with his eight birdies, all between a double bogey initially and the end.

“To be sincere, these couple of double bogeys actually didn’t have too dangerous a shot in them. It’s not like I used to be scratching it out of the bushes,” Smith stated. “Simply misjudged the wind on each wedges. Simply left myself in a little bit of a tricky spot. Aside from that, it was simply actually stable.”

Im’s 67 was the best rating to guide after 18 holes on the Masters since 2014, and that was to be anticipated. Even with 2 inches of rain that softened the course, the entrance that cleared out the clouds introduced sufficient wind to jangle the nerves at each flip.

Dustin Johnson, who held off Im and Smith when he gained the Masters in November 2020, was 4 below by way of 10 holes and poised to current a frightening goal with the scoring holes forward of him. He needed to accept pars, dropped a shot late and was within the giant group at 69.

Additionally at 69 have been former Masters champion Danny Willett, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Joaquin Niemann, who holed out for eagle on No. 9 and nonetheless did not get the largest roar of the spherical. He was enjoying with Woods, who heard all of them day.

The group was so giant that Woods may barely be seen over so many heads as he walked from the clubhouse to the placing inexperienced after which to the primary tee, massive cheers at every station, all the best way all the way down to Amen Nook till the top.

“In all probability in the beginning I observed that there was lots of people, however then I used to be making an attempt to speak to my caddie, and I couldn’t hear something that he was saying,” Niemann stated.

Missed in Woods enjoying once more was the return of the spectators, and it was a gorgeous and roaring marriage. There have been pockets of cheers from round Augusta Nationwide, and countless cheers for Woods.

He missed that. They missed him. And he did not waste time giving them motive for hope by making a 10-foot par putt on the primary gap.

“The place was electrical,” Woods stated. “I hadn’t performed like this since ’19 after I gained as a result of in ’20 we had COVID and we had nobody right here, and I didn’t play final yr. So to have the patrons absolutely out and to have that kind of vitality on the market was superior to really feel.”

He could not really feel the identical about his legs. He stated they have been sore, which he anticipated, however he may compete over 5 hours on mushy turf and so many undulations.

He got here inside a couple of toes of an ace on the par-3 sixth. He made a 30-foot birdie on the par-3 sixteenth, and his different on an method that hugged the highest of the inexperienced on the par-5 thirteenth for a easy two-putt. His massive remorse was a pitch that got here up woefully brief on the par-5 eighth, adopted by a chip that was too sturdy and a poor putt.

He dropped one other shot from a 4-iron chip on the 14th that ran 8 toes by.

It wasn’t his finest. However after going that lengthy with out critical competitors, he had few complaints.

“I’m going to be sore, sure. That’s simply the best way it’s,” he stated. “And this is just one spherical. We’ve bought three extra to go. There’s a protracted strategy to go and loads of photographs to be performed.”

But it surely was a begin, and that felt like a win. And he was amongst 17 gamers from the 90-man area who broke par, and that was massive.

“I used to be in a position to end up within the purple,” Woods stated. “I am proper the place I have to be.”

The hundreds of spectators who stood a dozen deep in some spots, who crammed each inch of grass round Amen Nook, could not have agreed extra.