Tiger Woods average in return to PGA Tour
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Three members of golf ’s walking wounded return to the PGA Tour on Thursday with varying degrees of success.
Genesis Invitational tournament host and 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods headlined a trio of pros who had been sidelined of late. Woods, 48, made his first official start since withdrawing from the Masters in April after making the 36-hole cut and then having surgery to fuse his right ankle two weeks later. Woods gave himself a sponsor’s invite into the signature event with a $20 million purse as well as to Will Zalatoris, who withdrew before the start of the last Masters and required back surgery at the tender age of 26. A third sponsor invite was doled out to Gary Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion who had brain surgery in September and hasn’t made a cut in three starts since his return to action.
On a delightfully sunny day near the City of Angels, Woods, 48, attracted a typically large following that was hungry to see what his game looked like. It was a tale of signs of brilliance and moments of rust, carding five birdies against six bogeys for a 1-over-par 72 in the opening round at Riviera Country Club.
Woods opened with an easy two-putt birdie at the par-5 first but overcooked his chip at the second and made a sloppy bogey from the middle of the fairway. Woods dropped another shot at the third, the first of four times he failed to get up and down from the sand. But he struck a couple of pretty irons at Nos. 4 and 6 to make birdies and get into red figures for the first time. He turned in 1-under 34 but the back nine would sprinkle in four bogeys and just two birdies at the par 5s – Nos. 11 and 17 – on the card, which included a bogey at the last after shanking his second shot.
For Woods, the biggest question remains how his body holds up, and Mark McCumber, the 10-time PGA Tour winner and analyst for PGA Tour Radio, called the day a success.
“Can he last 18 holes without his body getting to where he can’t hold the angle because his body is getting tired or fatigued. That’s what we have to look for as the week goes on,” McCumber said. “I don’t see him losing his spine angle, I don’t see him doing anything that would appear that he’s running out of energy or hurting. That’s the biggest sign. If he has his health, I’m not worried about his golf game; that hasn’t gone anywhere.”
Woods played alongside Woodland, who birdied the first three holes and stood at 4 under through 11 holes before losing his way a bit coming home. He signed for 1-under 70. Zalatoris raced to six birdies in his first eight holes and posted a front-nine 29 en route to signing for 66. He trailed Patrick Cantlay, who finished third a year ago here, by two strokes after the former UCLA golfer and Southern California native made eight birdies and one bogey to post 7-under 64 and claim the clubhouse lead during the first round.