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Tiger Woods returned to the PGA Tour Thursday for the first round of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, his first start in seven months. The golf legend started out hot with two birdies in his first five holes, but he faltered down the stretch and finished with a 3-over 75 to put him in 18th place in the 20-man field.
So, how did Woods look in his return to competitive golf? Unfortunately for the Tiger superfans, there were more negatives than positives.
Positives
- Mobility: The last time we saw Woods on the PGA Tour, he looked as if he was in pain with every step. The heavy limp was disheartening for fans who grew up watching him dominate every time he teed it up. Thankfully, the limp wasn’t prevalent during Thursday’s first round. Woods seemed to get around the golf course just fine, and he executed a handful of shots from awkward lies without a hitch. Tiger’s mobility was the most encouraging part of his first round back.
- Club Speed: A rod in his leg, multiple pins in his ankle and a five-time surgically repaired back still aren’t enough to stop a 47-year-old Woods from crushing the ball off the tee. Woods finished the day with an average driving distance of 313.4 yards, which ranked 10th in the loaded field. His club speed and ball speed were consistently high, and he accelerated through the golf ball much quicker than he did earlier this year.
- Putting: Woods’ putter wasn’t exactly on fire, but it was the best club in his bag for most of the day. He made a 22-footer for birdie on the third and a 28-footer for birdie on the fifth, and he finished the round ranked 11th in the field in strokes gained: putting. Woods did three-putt twice, but the flatstick was working well for the rest of the round.
Negatives
- Ball-striking: Even after all of his injuries and surgeries, Woods never forgot how to flush an iron. He did Thursday, though, as Tiger lost more than 2.1 strokes on approach, which was the worst mark in the field. Woods also finished 19th in driving accuracy (6/13 fairways) and 17th in SG: off the tee. We’ll chalk that ball-striking performance up to rust.
- Inconsistency: Golf is all about building momentum throughout the round, and Woods couldn’t generate any on Thursday. He made four birdies on the day but followed every one with a bogey or worse on the next hole. It’s impossible to shoot a low score on the PGA Tour if you can’t string together good shots, and Woods was unable to find a rhythm all day.
- Stamina: Woods shot an even-par front nine and was 1-under through 14 holes, but as we’ve seen from him in the past, it all fell apart down the stretch. Tiger went 4-over par on holes 15-17 and parred the 18th to finish at +3. The Golf Channel broadcast also showed him stretching out his right leg on the 18th tee box, so he’s still not healthy enough to comfortably walk 18 holes.
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