Nassau, Bahamas
Tiger Woods ended his much-anticipated return to competitive golf admitting too many silly mistakes including post two double bogeys in his closing three holes on route to a 73 on day one of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
It left him trailing nine shots behind fellow American J. B Holmes who snatched an eagle and seven birdies in an eight under par 64.
Woods had been sharing the lead with four birdies in opening eight holed but ended the round in the £STG 2.8m event trailing in 17th place in the 18-player field and just one fewer than struggling local resident Justin Rose who had withdrawn after just eight holes of Wednesday’s Pro-Am due to continuing a back complaint.
There were around 200 spectators gathered around the first when Woods teed-up at high noon local time, and this was after the course had been closed to the public for the opening three days.
Tiger Woods drives off the fourth after moments earlier recording a first birdie at the Hero World Challenge.
It had been 465 days since Woods last competed and that was in finishing T10th at the 2015 Wyndham Championship.
Also, it was his longest biggest lay-off from competition since he was side-lined for 254 days from winning the 2008 U.S. Open, and his last Major triumph, to teeing-up in February 2009 at the WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship.
Woods was introduced at the tournament host before stepping-up but sending his opening day into fluffy rough left of a left-hand side fairway bunker.
But Woods managed to find the front of the green some 12-feet short of the cup and proceeded to two-putt for a par.
Caddy Joe LaCava handed Woods his sunglasses as he headed to the second and with Woods not about to make ‘dumb mistake’ he said he had made not wearing sun-glasses during Wednesday’s Pro-Am and that gave him a post round headache.
Woods grabbed his first birdie at the par five, fourth hole and while he put his second through the back of the green he chipped superbly to just 18-inches to hole the putt.
It was Woods first birdie since birding the 72nd in a round of 70 on his debut at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.
Woods picked off a second birdie in holing six-footer at the sixth and then after 96-yard second shot to four feet at the seventh he moved to three under par. It also was a first occasion since that final Wyndham round he had produced three birdies in succession.
However, he produced the only real bad drive of his round at the ninth in landing in sand dunes left of the fairway but then he failed to get up-and-down from a slope right of the green on route to a bogey.
Woods headed to the inward half finding just the fourth fairway of his round and landing his second to just four feet for a par.
There was the first sight of any frustration when Woods put his second shot into dune grass and forced to take a penalty drop on route to a second bogey of his day
Woods was sharing eight place in coming to the par four 16th when he played a poor second shot that found itself again in the long dune grass, and with Woods chipping out backwards on route to taken a double bogey ‘6’ that sent him back to into a tie for 12th on one under par.
And Woods then took a double at the last when he put his tee shot left in water running the length of the hole.
“Well, when you think about my round I found three bushes and had a water ball out there, so it could have been something good out there today as I got off to such a solid start,” he said.
“I just made a few too many silly mistakes including not playing the par fives that well and consequently got it going the wrong way.
“But in all in all I felt pretty good and I’m looking forward to the next few days.!”
And when asked what pleased the 14-time Major the most in his round he said: “I was pleased with how quickly I fell into the competitive flow and felt the feel of the round.
“By the time I hit my tee shot at the second hole I had already got into the flow of the round and when I’ve had breaks and lay-offs in the past, it’s been hard to find that feel of the round as quickly as I did today.”
