Austin cooks first birdie at event
Augusta (USA), April 5: Tiger Woods faced the acid test of Augusta National on Thursday, teeing it up in the 82nd Masters in search of his first major title in a decade.
The 42-year-old, who calls himself a walking miracle less than 12 months after spinal fusion surgery, has astonished in his latest return from injury, a pair of top-five finishes on the PGA Tour fueling expectations that he can resume his pursuit of Jack Nickluas’s all-time record of 18 major wins.
Six-time champion Nicklaus and three-time winner Gary Player fired the ceremonial opening shots Thursday to get the first major of 2018 underway.
In bright sunshine and chilly temperatures, Austin Cook nabbed the first birdie of the tour- nament. Woods, making his first major start since missing the cut at the 2015 PGA Championship, was due to tee off alongside Australian Marc Leishman and England’s Tommy Fleetwood.
While Tiger has drawn the lion’s share of attention this week, his comeback bid is just one of the compelling stories in what’s shaping up to be a classic Masters.
Phil Mickelson, 47, has his sights set on a fourth green jacket after notching his first win in five years at the WGC Mexico Championship.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy seeks to complete a career Grand Slam. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson has won twice since Valentine’s Day and world No.2 Justin Thomas is another strong contender.