TIGER WOODS WAS delighted to be “part of a scorecard again” after an impressive opening round on his comeback at the Hero World Challenge on Thursday.
Woods has not featured on the PGA Tour for 301 days due to ongoing back problems, the former world number one undergoing his fourth surgery to correct the problem in April.
There were few signs of any discomfort in the Bahamas as he signed for a competitive 69, a card that leaves him three shots behind early leader Tommy Fleetwood.
Woods’ round included a number of solid drives, trademark approach play and a nice touch on the greens – the 41-year-old picking up five birdies across his 18 holes.
And the 14-time major winner was thrilled with his first competitive round.
“For me, I thought I did great,” he said.
“I hadn’t played in a while after some of difficulties I’ve been through. To go round and score like I did, that was nice.
“It was fun to get out there and actually be part of a scorecard again.
“I didn’t know what I could do. I’ve been playing golf, playing a lot of holes at home but it’s a little different when you have to tee it up in a tournament.
“I had a lot of adrenaline going there. I was hitting balls a little bit longer than I normally do, so I had to dial it back a little bit, but those are the internal struggles I just haven’t been through as a player in a while.
“It was not only nice to get that first round out of the way, but I’m only three shots out of the lead.”
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