Tiger Woods is back.
On Thursday, Woods made his dramatic return to Augusta National Golf Club, where he competed for the first time in over 500 days after getting seriously injured in a car crash early in 2021. Despite the long layaway, the 15-time major champions shot a 1-under 71 to open the Masters Tournament.
As he told ESPN’s Michael Eaves following the successful opening round, Woods felt he had an “awful” warmup Thursday morning. Yet he ended the day in a good position.
“As the round built, I was able to get into the red,” Woods said. “Got out of there, got to even par. Made two stupid mistakes at 8 [which he bogeyed] back to back. Lost my concentration a little bit there. But I fought back. And for the day, to end up in the red, I’m right where I need to be.”
He said he “felt good” during practice runs before deciding to participate in the Masters, but was ultimately holding back for the real thing.
“I figured once adrenaline kicks in, get fired up, and I get into my own little world, I should be able to handle business.”
He concluded that he’ll need “lots of ice” to prepare for tomorrow afternoon’s tee time.
Woods will seek an improbable sixth Green Jacket, which would match Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record. Given the circumstances, a victory might be even more remarkable than his 2019 win, his first major championship in 11 years.
Tiger is scheduled to tee off at 1:41 p.m. ET on Friday.
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