Tiger Woods ended a four-month injury lay-off slumping to last place on an Orlando golf course where he was a resident for more than a decade.
The much-awaited comeback in golf was for the best part agony for the Hero World Challenge host who sent his opening tee shot into a neighbour’s back yard on route to back-to-back bogeys on the exclusive Isleworth course.
Woods then horribly ‘duffed’ chip shots at eight and 11 in a score of 77 to be 11 shots behind newly-crowned Australian Open winner Jordan Spieth led the $US 3.5m event with a six under par 66 and just four days after winning the Australian Open in Sydney.
Four players – Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker and Rickie Fowler – share second place on five under par.
Two-time former Hero World Challenge winner Graeme McDowell is well placed among three places at four under par but with McDowell letting slip finishing on five under par when he ‘duffed’ a chip shot at the last.
Woods managed to hit just nine fairways in his round while he had 29 putts.
“I’ve shot in the 80s before and that has been in a cold north wind but it’s weird because I didn’t think I hit it that bad out there today at all,” said Woods smiling.
Tiger Woods on route to a round of 77 and 11 shots off the lead in hosting the 2014 Hero World Challenge. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
“My short game was just awful today and I missed it a few times over the front nine on the wrong side but it was just a long day and overall nothing just went my way, and take 13 as I hit probably two of my best shots all day and walked off with a six.
“But then in saying that I hit a lot of good shots and I got nothing out of my golf, nothing. There was just bad chips, bad putts and as I said, there were a couple of shots on the front nine where I just got on the wrong side.
“I find it surprising that I chipped that poorly and all my mistakes today were mainly around the green.
“My first tee shot I was a ‘camera ball’ and so I backed off that one and mentally didn’t reset and hit a poor tee shot at the second.”
Despite the hurt there was some brilliance from Woods as evident at the 12th hole in the video hereunder.
But it mostly despair for the tournament host as you will see just one hole later at the 13th.
When asked what positives there were Woods singled out: “Shot patterns were fantastic. And as I think all of you saw, I got my power back and I got my speed back. It’s nice to be able to start launching it again. That’s a very good sign.”
And he ended his near the end of his five minute post round interview if he felt any pain in his first competitive round since the PGA Championship at Valhalla.
“Physically I feel good as there was no pain at all and that’s something I have not been able to say in a long time,” he said.
“So it is very exciting being up to step up there and hit the drives I want to hit and play the iron shots I wanted to hit so physically I feel good.”
Aussie Jason Day, who played alongside Woods and shoot a 71, remarked: “I have never ever seen Tiger Woods miss so many chip shots and it’s very surprising.”
