Tiger Woods returned to golf on Thursday, playing his first tournament since withdrawing from the Masters in April.
At Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas, Woods shot a 3-of-75 in the first round of the Hero World Challenge after teeing off alongside Justin Thomas. Woods finished the game with four birdies, seven pars and three bogeys.
Woods has come a long way since a car accident in February 2021 left him with serious leg injuries and difficulty walking during recovery. As of February 2022, Woods was able to run on a treadmill, but said he still has “a long way to go” to be able to run the curves of a golf course.
Nearly a year later, Woods withdrew from the 2023 Masters due to plantar fasciitis. It was the second time in 12 months that Woods withdrew from a major, having withdrawn from the 2022 PGA Championship after three rounds. On April 19, Woods underwent a “subtalar fusion” on his ankle to treat post-traumatic arthritis from a previous fracture
What did Woods look like?
The general answer is that Woods hit the ball well and seemed to skate much more comfortably than at the other returns since the 2021 fall. He hit the ball far and fairly reliably, even reaching speeds of 177 miles per hour off the tee. He hit his irons well. The problems in his round were largely due to the fact that he hadn’t practiced or played 18 holes for months. His short game was shaky all day. He made small mental mistakes that often made occasional mistakes worse. He agreed, saying, “I think you take it for granted when you play all the time…instead of reacting to it, I thought about doing it.” Those are generally the parts of Woods’ game that come back with more repetitions.
The key was that Woods looked relatively healthy and like his body was capable of hitting the shots. — Brody Miller, golf staff writer
Woods was also just having fun
The other element this week is that Woods appears relaxed. His good friend and business partner Rob McNamara caddied for him, and he was accompanied by Thomas, a close friend, and caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay. As he sank a 48-foot birdie putt on the 11th, he joked, “Good read, Robby!” because McNamara didn’t really help with the reading and laughed heartily until the end. When the round was over, he smiled broadly and hugged Thomas.
Sure, Woods is a competitor and got pretty angry when he tried to hit a ball out of a bush and it only moved a foot, but it was different. Woods’ mood in 2022 and 2023 was one of intensity and focus, mentally forcing his body to get through each round. Yes, Woods said he was in pain “everywhere” on Thursday, but he seemed much calmer. —Miller
Required reading
(Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)