Tiger Woods in Position to Achieve Masters Feat for Just the 3rd Time
But despite making just one official PGA Tour start this year, which ended early as he withdrew from the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club after just 24 holes due to illness, the 15-time major champion looked good during the first round on April 11.
Inclement weather delayed the start of golf’s first major championship of the year by two and a half hours, which meant that Woods knew when he teed off at 3:54 p.m. Eastern alongside Max Homa and Jason Day that he wouldn’t be able to play all 18 holes.
But the group was able to get through the 13th before play was suspended due to darkness and will continue the round early Friday at 7:50 a.m.
With two birdies and a bogey on Thursday in blustery conditions, Tiger sits at 1-under for his round, good for a tie for 17th and six shots back of leader Bryson DeChambeau, who went out in the morning wave and fired a 7-under 65.
It’s not uncommon for Woods to shoot par or better in the first round at Augusta, as he’s done so 16 times in his previous 25 appearances. It is rare, however, for Tiger to open his week at The Masters by shooting a round in the 60s, a feat he’s accomplished only twice, shooting 4-under 68 in both 2010 and 2020.
But with five holes left to play, the 82-time PGA Tour winner could up that total to three as there are some birdie opportunities in front of him.
It’s no secret that Tiger Woods will essentially never be 100% when he tees it up in any tournament and he came to this year’s Masters dealing with ankle issues and also some lower-back trouble.
But during his first round, the 48-year-old showed no sign that anything was bothering him on the injury front.
Tiger got off to a great start, striping a 3-wood down the middle of the fairway at the 445-yard, par-4 first hole. He then stuck his approach to eight feet and made the ensuing birdie putt to get to 1-under.
After two straight pars, Woods gave the shot back with a bogey at the 177-yard, par-3 fourth. But he got back into the red with a birdie at the 570-yard, par-5 eighth, which played as the easiest hole on the course on Thursday, yielding three eagles, 50 birdies, 33 pars, and just three bogeys.
The five-time Masters champ then made five consecutive pars to wrap up his day, including a gem of a save at the 11th.
To get into the 60s, Woods obviously needs to play his final five holes on Friday morning in 2-under, which is certainly feasible. The par-4 14th could prove challenging as the 440-yarder yielded just six birdies on Thursday.
But the par-5 15th gave up 23, and the par-3 16th produced 14. The 17th and 18th holes yielded just five combined birdies, but if Woods can grab a couple of birdies before then and navigate the final two holes in even par, he could find himself in the 60s and in genuine contention heading into the second round.
As mentioned, the only two times Tiger Woods has shot in the 60s in the opening round at The Masters were 2010 and 2020. The former yielded the better overall result as he tied for fourth. The latter, however, wasn’t nearly as successful as Woods shot a 76 in the final round and finished in solo 47th.
Tiger may not want to finish in the 60s, however, as he shot 2-under 70 in four of the five years he went on to win. The lone exception was 2005, when he opened with a 2-over 74.
Here’s a look at how Woods has fared over the years in the first round.
