Legendary golfer Tiger Woods showcased a mix of his classic skill and some evident rust as he made his long-awaited return to the golf course.
Participating in his first tournament since pulling out of the Masters in April, Woods navigated through a tumultuous round at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas during the opening round of the Hero World Challenge. Scoring a 75, three strokes over par, he landed in 18th place out of 20 participants.
Woods delivered a flawless initial tee shot right down the first fairway. Despite a slight limp, he managed to pull off some impressive birdies, including a remarkable long putt on the 11th hole.
But not every shot from Woods was as memorable, as seen in his mishap attempting to escape from a bush on the 15th hole.
Woods ended up with a double-bogey on the 15th, followed by bogeys on the next two holes. He halted the slide with a straightforward par on the 18th. While he successfully hit six out of 13 fairways and nine out of 18 greens in regulation, Woods’ 3-over back nine paled in comparison to his even-par front side. This may serve as evidence of his unfamiliarity with the grind as he seeks to recover from ankle fusion surgery earlier this year.
“I was rusty. I didn’t have my feels,” Woods remarked afterward. “Kind of went sideways at the end.”
Woods is aiming for a comeback after yet another extended hiatus, a result of the ankle fusion surgery he underwent following a challenging week at Augusta earlier this year. Since 2020, Woods has only completed all four rounds of a major tournament once, but he has plans to compete at the PNC Championship alongside his son Charlie, as well as in multiple tournaments next year.
Tony Finau and Brian Harman lead the Hero World Challenge at 5-under after both carding 67s on the day. This no-cut event is set to continue through Sunday.
