Impressively sturdy, Tiger Woods returns with a one-under par round at the Masters

With 1000’s of spectators watching his each transfer Thursday morning, Tiger Woods emerged from the Augusta Nationwide clubhouse, closed his eyes, took a deep breath as if to brace himself, opened his eyes and stepped into the following chapter of his legendary profession.

The five-time Masters winner started his pursuit of his sixth inexperienced jacket underneath circumstances nearly past perception.

He’s 14 months faraway from a catastrophic rollover automobile accident that threatened his capacity to stroll, but one way or the other he remained an element on the primary day of the storied event.

Enjoying conservatively and steadily saving par along with his putter — together with a 10-footer on 18 — Woods shot a one-under-par 71 with 13 pars, two bogeys and three birdies. When he completed his spherical, he was three photographs off the lead.

He acquired a break along with his tee shot on No. 18, which clipped some branches on the left and wound up in moist pine straw. As a result of he was in standing water, he was in a position to transfer the ball again — making the drive a mere 193 yards — however nearly into the golf green. He didn’t attain the inexperienced on his subsequent shot, however spun his third in prime place to make birdie, drawing loud cheers from the spectators ringing the inexperienced.

“I felt good,” Woods stated in a post-round interview with ESPN. “The entire thought was to maintain pushing however preserve recovering. . . . I’ve been doing that.”

“I figured as soon as the adrenaline kicks in and I get fired up and get in my little world, I can get all the way down to enterprise.”

The spherical was Woods’ first aggressive one in 509 days, because the 2020 Masters that was postponed till November due to the pandemic. He performed with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquín Niemann, who shot 69 for his finest profession spherical at Augusta.

Thus far, it’s Australia’s Cameron Smith who has turned within the spherical of the day. He recovered from a double-bogey on No. 1 with eight birdies to say an early benefit atop the leaderboard at 6 underneath par. However he bookended his spherical with a double-bogey on 18 to complete with a four-under 68. That tied the bottom rating on the Masters in 25 years for a participant who made two double-bogeys.

Woods, 46, stated through the week that his problem wouldn’t be ball-striking or placing however strolling the undulating course on his rebuilt legs. He regarded barely stiff however not overly uncomfortable, though he did briefly clutch at his again after his errant tee shot on No. 9.

The day began with drizzle, the final vestiges of the thunderstorms that interrupted apply rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday. By the early afternoon, when Woods was on the again 9, blue skies and sunshine had returned. The breeze picked up, although, making these into-the-wind holes particularly difficult.

Woods made par on his first 5 holes, then dropped to at least one underneath with a birdie on No. 6, a par-3 gap that he practically aced. He gave that stroke again on No. 8, nonetheless, developing wanting the inexperienced on his third shot, operating his fourth previous the opening, then two-putting for bogey on his manner again.

At one level, he missed 5 greens in a row however was in a position to scramble along with his placing.

A birdie on the par-5 thirteenth put Woods again in crimson numbers however was proper again at even par with a bogey on 14.

Simply earlier than 11 a.m., caddie Joe LaCava emerged from the clubhouse carrying Woods’ black and inexperienced Monster Vitality Drink bag with the distinctive Tiger headcovers. This was in a roped-off space underneath the well-known oak tree with patrons — what they name spectators right here — crowding exterior the ropes and hoping for a glimpse at Tiger.

It had rained for the previous two days, and drizzled once more Thursday morning, so the grass exterior the clubhouse was slick and even treacherous. Groundskeeper carts traversed the world within the predawn hours, distributing coarse inexperienced sand as if salting the roads throughout a snowstorm. Augusta Nationwide is hillier than it seems on TV, so it’s simple to lose your footing and take a tumble.

After LaCava got here out of the clubhouse, everybody knew that Woods was quickly to observe. The place fell silent, and folks within the restricted space — Augusta members, friends and media — wordlessly fashioned a kind of marriage ceremony receiving line for Woods to stroll via when he got here out of the clubhouse and made his solution to the primary tee.

All of a sudden, the clubhouse door swung open and out stepped Woods, in black pants with a fuchsia shirt. When he noticed the receiving line and crowd ready exterior the ropes, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was nearly as if he had been getting ready himself to cliff dive or soar in an ice bathtub.

The gang broke into applause with a number of folks shouting “Tiger!” However the stillness within the air was one thing to behold. And as soon as he walked via, it was as if all the things got here again to life and the world began spinning once more. The receiving line dissipated and folks resumed chatting away.

Among the many Augusta members making the social rounds underneath the well-known oak tree of their inexperienced jackets had been Roger Goodell, Lynn Swann, Pat Haden and Heidi Ueberroth. Joe Buck, who isn’t a member however was taking all of it in, was there as nicely.

Tiger was greeted with cheers and applause on the primary tee, with the opening lined with a number of layers of patrons all the best way to the inexperienced. He hit his tee shot somewhat to the proper and behind a bunker. The spherical had begun.