Tiger Woods made his long-awaited return to competitive Golf after 15 months out with a one-over-par 73 at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
It was a round that left him nine shots off the lead of compatriot JB Holmes as two double bogeys in the last three holes undid the good work of his front nine.
Woods, who has slipped to world number 898 due to his injury struggles, had briefly been tied for the lead after a run of three birdies from the sixth hole. His first nine holes were played in 33 but a disappointing back nine score of 40 saw him end the day +1, a shot ahead of Olympic Champion Justin Rose.
It all started to unravel at the 16th when he was forced to chip out from short of the green. An over-hit fourth shot, followed by a two-putt resulted in a double bogey. He then found the lake at 18 and two-putted from 12 feet to do serious damage to his scorecard.
Woods rues wayward shots
There were definitely positive signs for Tiger, especially in a front nine which saw some pinpoint iron play and some par-saving putts.
Woods himself was aware that he was close to a much better score, and acknowledged that a few mistakes had hampered him.
“I hit the ball in three bushes and the water, so it could have been something really good,” Woods told Sky Sports.
“I got off to a solid start but then I made a few mistakes.
If you drive great you can take advantage of this golf course, but if you don’t you can end up in bushes or rocks and go sideways.”
There is no cut at the Hero World Challenge, so Woods can look forward to three more days as he returns to action following a spell out of the game where he twice underwent surgery.
Holmes sets the pace
United States Ryder Cup player JB Holmes notched seven birdies and an eagle on his way to an eight-under-par 64 and leads the 18-man event.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama is his closest competitor on -7, with 2016 major winners Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson on -6 and -5 respectively.
Jordan Spieth produced a marvellous display of pitching, twice finding the hole from off the green for an eagle and a birdie in his four-under-par round.
