Five-time Masters winner Tiger Woods shoots one-under 71 in first round after return from injury
Tiger Woods teed off in the first round of the Masters on Thursday as he embarked on a remarkable comeback following a in February 2021 in which he sustained serious leg injuries.
Five-time Masters champion Woods played in Group 14, alongside South African Louis Oosthuizen and Chilean Joaquin Niemann. The first round of the 2022 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club tournament was delayed due to inclement weather in Augusta, Georgia.
Wearing a pink shirt, Woods was given a resounding round of applause from the crowd as his name was announced. After hitting his opening drive, Woods received more cheers from fans.
His drive wasn't perfect, though the 46-year-old ended up making par on the first hole to the delight of the watching patrons.
Woods' first birdie came on the sixth Hole after his excellent tee shot left him a short putt to shoot up to under par for the first time.
However, after bogeying the eighth hole, Woods finished the front-nine level par.
He once again dropped under par following a birdie on the par-five 13th hole, only to be pegged back to level par a hole later.
Woods displayed some of the fight he's become famous for over his illustrious career on the 16th hole, rolling in a tricky putt for another birdie a trademark fist pump in celebration to move to one under to the delight of the thousands watching on.
Despite a wayward tee shot on the 18th hole, Woods managed to salvage a par, meaning he carded a one-under-par 71, which signalled a solid return to competitive golf after almost 17 months away.
After his opening round, Woods said he was "as sore as I expected to feel" but admitted it was "amazing" to be back out on the course.
"I was telling the team all week, come game time, it will be a different deal," he told the media. "My adrenaline will kick in. I'll get into my little world, and I'll get after it. It's about the training we've done to have the stamina to go.
"I'm going to be sore, yes. That's just the way it is. But the training cycles that we've had to ensure that I have the stamina to keep going -- and this is only one round. We've got three more to go. There's a long way to go and many shots to be played."
Woods added: "I can swing a golf club. The walking's not easy, and it isn’t easy. As I said with all the hard work, my leg, it's going to be difficult for the rest of my life. That's just the way it is, but I'm able to do it.
"That's something I'm very lucky to have this opportunity to be able to play, and not only that, to play in the Masters and to have this type of reception."
At the end of Thursday, South Korea's Im Sung-jae led the pack at five-under par.
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