Tiger Woods made his long-awaited return to Augusta for Round 1 of the Masters on Thursday. The rust was more than evident early on, as the 15-time major champion struggled with his short game in the front nine.
FOLLOW LIVE: Updates, highlights from Round 1 of the Masters
Woods showed flashes of his old self on the tee, blazing shots with the speed and trajectory of a player half his age. But once he hit the green, he looked cautious; unwilling to put a whole heap of strength into some of his attempts.
The result: a 2-over showing through nine holes, one that made his opportunity to advance into the weekend appear that much more unlikely.
But then, something happened. Woods began to put more oomph into his efforts. And the added power was beneficial, helping Tiger post an even score on the back nine. That back nine was spotlighted by a pair of birdies on holes 15 and 16, sumptuous touches that got the crowd surrounding Augusta National more than excited.
It wasn't quite a perfect end for Woods, who had to settle for bogey on the final hole. Still, to start the day at 2-over and end it with the same score has to do wonders to Tiger's psyche.
His appearance at the Masters will be a welcome sight for both his contemporaries and golf fans over the world: Following his February 2021 car crash, the legendary golfer is now extremely selective about the events in which he will compete. But Augusta National, where Tiger has won five of his 15 majors, rises to the level of an automatic appearance.
MORE: Watch the 2023 Masters Tournament live with Fubo (free trial)
The Sporting News tracked Tiger's scores, highlights and placements from the first round of the 2023 Masters.
Tiger Woods score, highlights from Round 1
3:25 p.m.: And a bogey will put Woods at 2-over 74 to end his day. Bit of a difficult start, but a strong finish from Woods, who sank two straight birdies to get himself on the cusp of even play. Unlucky bounces put him in a precarious position on Hole No. 18, but he did what he can. Now, Woods looks to find his form in far more inclement conditions on Friday.
3:20 p.m.: Too much pace on the fourth stroke for Woods, who will likely have to settle for bogey to end his day.
3:16 p.m.: Did pretty well to get himself back on the green on Hole No. 18. However, it will take a rather big effort to salvage par here.
3:14 p.m.: Awkward angle for Woods, who sends a shot from one bunker to the other. Unable to get much torque on his attempt. At 47 years old, can't imagine that's the most comfortable position for him.
3:06 p.m.: Great finish for Woods, who displays perhaps his best drive of the day on Hole No. 17. He's done a tremendous job battling back from a slow start.
3:02 p.m.: Woods for par on 16 is...good. He stays at +1. Two holes remaining for the Woods-Hovland-Schauffele pairing.
2:45 p.m.: Back-to-back birdies brings Woods score down to +1! Really strong ending by the GOAT here at Augusta. Could be a good sign for tomorrow's round.
Two in a row for Tiger Woods. #themasters pic.twitter.com/RYFcHxiSrO
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 6, 2023
2:38 p.m.: Wonderful iron shot by Woods sets him up for another good score. If he could cut further into this deficit, it would have to be considered a win.
2:33 p.m.: Vintage Woods with his putt, looping it around the bend before dropping it into place for birdie. Needs more of that to confirm his status come the end of the weekend.
Perfect read, perfect putt.@TigerWoods makes birdie on No. 15 at #theMasters pic.twitter.com/HzojWHpJq9
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 6, 2023
2:26 p.m.: Woods not really putting himself in position to be competitive once he gets on the green. Been solid on the fairway, but not getting close enough on the green to cut into his deficit.
2:13 p.m.: Tiger rattles the hole with another par. However, it was his first par that was more impressive, tailing from left to right before falling just short of the mark. +3 through 14.
2:04 p.m.: Woods unable to clear the trees, although the break may have been kind to him. Finds himself on the cusp of the putting green on Hole No. 14.
1:54 p.m.: Woods sinks a putt for par. All in all, he just hasn't been able to find liveliness on the putting green. Coupled with less-than-ideal iron play, Woods has faltered behind the pack.
1:46 p.m.: Lucky Hole No. 13 starts with a calmly-struck stroke plopped on the middle of the fairway. Problem for Woods hasn't been his driving, as much as his short game on the greens.
1:37 p.m.: Woods saves par on Hole No. 12. Far back from the leader, Hovland, who has been on a tear. Nine shots in front of Woods thus far.
#TigerWoods with an incredible lag putt ...nearly gets it in...we move pic.twitter.com/mC815eG5oj
— Hamid Munir (@HamidMunir80) April 6, 2023
1:26 p.m.: Woods sinks his putt for bogey, putting him back at +3.
1:21 p.m.: Woods follows up his disheartening second shot with an even worst third, landing in the bunker. He'll have to do some serious work to salvage bogey.
1:15 p.m.: Oof. Woods skews his approach shot on Hole 11 badly, putting it well beyond the putting green and into the rough. Not great.
1:01 p.m.: Speed on the greens been a real issue for Woods thus far. He leaves another putt short and has to settle for par.
12:55 p.m.: What a shot by Woods! Puts it right on the putting green, giving himself another shot at nabbing a birdie. Slowly but surely, Tiger is starting to find his groove.
Touch of class from @TigerWoods. 👌 He sets himself up for a tap-in birdie on the par-5 8th. #MG3Wedgepic.twitter.com/H0CsjnH0Md
— TaylorMadeGolfEurope (@TaylorMadeTour) April 6, 2023
12:42 p.m.: Woods saves par, bringing his front nine score to a +2. Could be much worse for Tiger, who ended his first nine on a bit of an upturn.
12:40 p.m.: Heavy chip for Woods, who gets a little bit of backspin on his attempt. It finishes close to the edge of the putting green, giving him a chance to salvage par.
12:36 p.m.: Yuck. Woods unable to get the curve he wanted to as he attempted to get his stroke on the green. Didn't look too comfortable setting his shot up. All the age and injuries have to have taken their toll on his ability to get that all-important lie.
12:24 p.m.: First real highlight of the day for Woods, who hits a birdie on 8. Impressive second stroke puts him just short of the hole, putting his birdie right on a platter. Hopefully that will be the start of a more fruitful showing come the back nine.
Nearly an eagle for Tiger Woods on hole No. 8. #themasters pic.twitter.com/7XfulYE6JL
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 6, 2023
12:19 p.m.: Woods' day goes from bad to worse. Rifles his tee shot on Hole No. 8 into the trees. May have very well hit one of the branches with his errant drive.
12:05 p.m.: It just hasn't been a particularly fruitful day for Woods. Yet another bogey puts him at +3 through seven holes, a ghastly sight compared to course mates Hovland and Schauffele.
11:46 a.m.: Woods leaves his second stroke just short of the target. Needs to make a bit of an adjustment to start turning birdie chances into birdies themselves,
11:40 a.m.: Woods with a delicate effort on the tee, perhaps his best tee shot of the day. Real good shot of getting himself a positive score on this hole.
11:30 a.m.: Another bogey for Woods, who has been a bit ragged in his play thus far. Up to two-over for the five-time tournament winner.
11:26 a.m.: Woods gives himself a little work to do with hiss approach shot. He'll have to work his way up the slope.
11:22 a.m.: Big stretch for Woods over the next few holes. He'll want to start chipping away at the lead and get into the negative with a few decent scores in Holes 5, 6 and 7.
11:15 a.m.: Good two-putt for Woods, who stays +1.
11:10 a.m.: Woods gets it on the green to lead off Hole No. 4. Not quite Schauffele-level — he looks destined to get birdie once more — but deft control on his strike could put him in position to make something happen.
11:07 a.m.: Way too high on stroke four. He misses the target and records his first birdie of the day, one that drew an exasperated sigh from Woods.
11:03 a.m.: Short game has been hit-or-miss for Woods so far. Puts a little extra mustard on his first putt attempt. Not the easiest of putts for par coming up.
10:56 a.m.: Strong drive to open hole No. 3 for Tiger. Pierced through the wind to place it right on the middle of the fairway. Woods still has plenty of strength at 47.
10:52 a.m.: Woods gets par. Would've liked better on Pink Dogwood — Schauffele and Hovland nabbed birdies — but didn't fall too far down the field.
10:49 a.m.: Decent putt on shot No. 4, with his strike veering ever so slightly wide of the hole. However, much like the first hole, Woods has his work cut out for him to salvage par.
10:46 a.m.: Woods misses the target on his third stroke, placing it way down the slope of the green. He won't be happy with that approach.
10:41 a.m.: Back on the green with aplomb; Woods drops a chipped effort in the middle of the fairway, putting him back in decent shape.
10:40 a.m.: Going with the wedge on stroke No. 2.
10:35 a.m.: Hole 2 starts with a dip into the bunker for Woods. Although not ideal, that shouldn't cause him too many concerns; Woods has always been a force on Pink Dogwood.
10:32 a.m.: Woods sinks a four-foot putt to stay even. Solid showing on Tea Olive for the 15-time major champion.
10:29 a.m.: Takes something off on his third putt. This isn't a layup by any means.
10:26 a.m.: Woods opts for caution on his second stroke, slipping it near the edge of the green. It would take a hell of an effort to get a birdie here, but par seems fairly realistic.
10:22 a.m.: It was a strong first stroke for Woods, who has had some difficulties on Tea Olive in the past. He'll hope to get himself firmly on the green with shot No. 2.
10:19 a.m.: First shot of the day lands in the middle of the fairway. Now, Viktor Holland is up.
10:17 a.m.: Woods about to tee off. The search for Masters title No. 6 starts now.
"Fore please. Tiger Woods, now driving."
— ESPN (@espn) April 6, 2023
Tiger's round is underway at #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/i2hHFt4JaA
| Hole (Par) | Tiger's score (Overall) | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (4) | E | T7 |
| 2 (5) | E | T15 |
| 3 (4) | +1 | T23 |
| 4 (3) | +1 | T26 |
| 5 (4) | +2 | T31 |
| 6 (3) | +2 | T35 |
| 7 (4) | +3 | T43 |
| 8 (5) | +2 | T38 |
| 9 (4) | +2 | T40 |
| 10 (4) | +2 | T44 |
| 11 (4) | +3 | T55 |
| 12 (3) | +3 | T60 |
| 13 (5) | +3 | T63 |
| 14 (4) | +3 | T66 |
| 15 (5) | +2 | T55 |
| 16 (3) | +1 | T45 |
| 17 (4) | +1 | T41 |
| 18 (4) | +2 | T54 |
MORE: What Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, PGA Tour players are saying about LIV Golf ahead of 2023 Masters
Tiger Woods tee time today
Woods will tee off at 10:18 a.m. ET on Thursday's Round 1. He will be paired with Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele.
| Round | Tee time (ET) | Hole | Pairings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10:18 a.m. | 1 | Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele |
| 2 | 1:24 p.m. | 1 | Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele |
| 3 | — | — | — |
| 4 | — | — | — |
How to watch 2023 Masters Round 1
- TV channel: ESPN
- Broadcast times: 3-7:30 p.m. ET
- Live stream (morning): Masters.com | Fubo (free trial)
ESPN and CBS will continue their setup of splitting coverage of the Masters over the course of four days: The former will have coverage for the opening rounds, while CBS will take over after the weekend cut.
Other live streams include featured groups from 10:10 a.m. through 7:30 p.m. ET, Amen Corner coverage from 10:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET and Holes 15 and 16 from 11:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, all of which will be available via Masters.com. Another option for cord-cutters or dedicated streamers is Fubo, which offers a free trial for first-time users.
Zac Al-Khateeb contributed to this report.
