Woods thrills with solid start
AUGUSTA: Tiger Woods is back. Walking with the slightest hint of a limp after a devastating car wreck that could’ve cost him his right leg, Woods sent the Masters patrons into an uproar Thursday with his first birdie of the tournament.
After five straight pars—he just missed a birdie at the tough No. 5 hole when a 15-foot putt lipped out—woods delivered a vintage tee shot at the par-3 sixth. The ball climbed up a ridge on the green and stopped 2 feet short of the flag, leaving Woods with nothing more than a tap-in to push his score to 1-under.
The joy was short-lived as he bogeyed the par-5 eighth and was on even par at halfway in the opening round. His group mate Joaquin Niemann of Chile was in sole lead at that stage with 3-under after an eagle at the par-four ninth.
This was Woods’s first truly competitive tournament since a car wreck in February 2021
damaged his right leg so badly doctors told him that amputation was an option.
Wearing a pink shirt and black pants, Woods was greeted by thunderous applause when his name was announced to a
huge gallery surrounding the first tee. Woods failed to make solid contact with his first shot: a 264-yard drive that faded behind a bunker on the right of the fairway. His approach rolled off the front of the green, but he sank a 10-foot putt to save par, bringing another huge roar from the fans. Woods walked slowly, knowing that he faced four tough days on an extremely hilly course if he manages to make the cut.
His career was in jeopardy after the car wreck left him confined to a hospital bed for three months. Woods was out of the public eye until last November, when he posted a video of him swinging a club with a simple message, “Making progress.”
His lone tournament in the 508 days since he last competed was a just-for-fun event in December in which he rode in a cart and was paired with his 13-year-old son, Charlie.
Despite the long layoff and the obvious physical limitations with screws and rods still holding the bones in place in his right leg, Woods said he still thinks he can win his sixth green jacket.
At 46, he would be the oldest Masters champion by three weeks over Jack Nicklaus.
The biggest question is how Woods holds up over 18 holes for four straight days.