Tiger Woods has returned to competitive golf for the first time since withdrawing midway through the Masters in April and undergoing ankle surgery.
The 15-time major winner made his return at the Hero World Challenge at Albany GC in the Bahamas – a 20-player tournament with no cut and hardly any crowds, making it about as low-pressure an environment as possible for the legend’s return.
Woods carded a three-over 75 in his first round in 236 days. It was something of a wild round – with four birdies, five bogeys and a double to go with eight pars.
The competition benefits Woods’ own charity, and the 47-year-old used a sponsors exemption to take a place in the field.
Crucially, it is also a very flat course, making it less of a physical challenge for a man still struggling from the effects of his 2021 car crash.
It is just his fifth tournament since that crash, having only finished 72 holes twice in that time.
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“My game feels rusty,” he said on Tuesday. “I’m excited to compete and play and I’m just as curious as all of you are to see what happens because I haven’t done it in a while.
“I can tell you this, I don’t have any of the pain that I had at Augusta or pre that in my ankle.
“Other parts are taking the brunt of the load so I’m a little more sore in other areas, but the ankle’s good. That surgery was a success.”
Woods had two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine, before a 48-foot birdie putt on 11 to get back to one-under.
A bogey the following hole was followed by a birdie on 14, before his round came undone in a late collapse.
He double-bogeyed 15 after a poor tee shot forced two recovery attempts to escape a bush in the rough.
He then dropped shots on the following two holes after finding a bunker off the tee on 16, and three-putting on 17. That left him 18th and third-last.
Woods looked technically solid for much of the round, but began to tire after three hours. Nevertheless, he retained his smile – and looked to be walking relatively comfortably in a positive sign after saying he wants to play around a tournament every month in 2024.
Meanwhile, Brian Harman and Tony Finau share the lead after five-under 67s, though Finau’s round could easily have been better if not for a brutally unlucky moment where his approach shot deflected off the top of the flagstick.
Australia’s Jason Day carded a one-under 71.