Woods makes another strong start at Bay Hill

Tiger Woods was out-of-bounds by inches and holed a 70-foot birdie putt , and he was only part of the entertainment Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Former PGA champion Jimmy Walker, who wasn’t even planning to be at Bay Hill until he mixed up the dates for a trip to Augusta National, holed a wedge from 132 yards for eagle on No. 18 that gave him a 5-under 67 and a one-shot lead over Woods, Patrick Reed and Byeong Hun An.

The action never stopped. The loudest cheers were around Woods.

Woods returned to Bay Hill for the first time since his record eighth victory in 2013, and it was like he had never left.

The gallery was enormous, especially with an unseasonable chill in the air, and he delivered a memorable show.

Last week at Innisbrook was the first time he broke par in the opening round since his return following a fourth back surgery. Thursday at Bay Hill was the first he broke 70. Each round seems to get a little better.

“I feel like I’m not really thinking as much around the golf course,” Woods said. “I can just see and feel it and go.”

Rory McIlroy, among those playing in the afternoon, already was at 5 under through 10 holes.

Coming off a runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship that raised expectations of a victory being closer than ever, Woods started and finished strong, with one mishap in the middle.

His drive on No. 3, his 12th hole of the round, sailed to the right and went off a cart path and toward the houses. Only when he reached the ball did Woods find it rolled into the bottom of a mesh fence. It looked like it was in play, except the poles on the waisthigh fence were the boundaries, and his ball was inches outside of them.

He went back to the tee, sprayed the next tee shot under a tree and made double bogey.

And then came the big finish — two birdies on the par 5s, including a bold flop shot from a tight lie over a bunker at No. 6 — and then a 70-foot putt he was hoping would be close. Woods immediately pressed his hand down, asking for the ball to slow down, and then watched it drop for a most unlikey birdie.

“I was trying to lag it down there and just make my par and get out of here,” he said. “It had to crash at the hole — which I’m not complaining — and it went in.”

He closed with a 12-foot putt to save par from the bunker.

Walker was on the other side of the golf course finishing up at the same time. He went over the green on the par-5 16th for a tough up-and-down for birdie, made it through the par-3 17th without any drama and finished up on the toughest hole at Bay Hill.

His wedge hopped twice and disappeared for a 2.

“Those work on any hole,” Walker said.

Walker rarely plays Bay Hill because of tournaments in Texas he prefers to play ahead of the Masters, and this year was going to be no exception.

He had a trip to Augusta National planned with some friends and club members and thought it was this weekend.

Instead, it was meant to be Monday and Tuesday. Walker’s wife, Erin, has a horse-jumping show in West Palm Beach. The kids are with their grandparents skiing in Utah.

“I figured I might as well play,” Walker said.