The master is back and so is Tiger Woods.
The five-time winner, who has been out of contention since his devastating car accident 14 months ago, was also present at the start of the first round on Thursday.
He finished the game with three birdies and two bogeys for a score of 71 – 1 under par – which left him four strokes behind the leader and in 10th place. Woods was on the right track as the first-round average of his five Masters wins is 70.8.
Masters 2022: everything you need to know
Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champion and Jon Rahm entered as the betting favorite, but it was Sungjae Im who topped the leaderboard after round one with a score of 67-5 under par.
Here are the top moments from Thursday’s first round.
The Golden Bear
Jack Nicklaus is the man Woods is chasing for the all-time major championships (Nicklaus has 18, Woods has 15). And Nicklaus was there as a volunteer starter.
Birdie time!
As Wood’s start time neared, Jose Maria Olazabal quietly walked out and made the first birdie of the year’s tournament.
Olazabal is a two-time Masters champion and is playing the tournament for the 33rd time. His approach to the par 4 opening hole continued down the right side of the green and he curled the putt.
From downtown
Padraig Harrington’s putter was in fine form early on as he emptied a 67-foot putter to remain co-leader.
Forest is back!
Woods attended the course with a fan or two to watch. Here’s his first hole that ended on a par.
Harry situation
With all eyes on Woods, Harry drove Higgs to the top of the leaderboard, posting four early birdies.
“He’s a Wizard”
Cameron Smith showed his short game with a sweet chip on No. 5.
eagle time
Shane Lowry was also in the chip-in action!
just missed
Woods walked that #5 birdie putt, but it just lipped out.
It doesn’t get much better
How about a hole-out eagle from Joaquin Niemann to give him a share of the lead?
This came after the 23-year-old phenom had back-to-back birdies.
The former champion is on the hunt
Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion, took the lead in 13th.
Keep up the pressure
Smith continued to climb and go into a tie for the lead as he worked his way through Amen Corner.
Check in at Tiger
Woods stayed on the hunt in the first round, and he showed no signs of slowing down on approach shots like this.
Cam is the man
Many considered Smith a potential contender for the tournament and Thursday’s actions showed why.
Smith was the first to reach 4 under, which he accomplished with a birdie on the par 14th. Smith was 2 over after four holes and then played his next 10 in 6 under – using a jump start with back-to-back birdies to close his front.
After 16 holes, he led by 6 under two.
Hear the roar
Woods also nailed a birdie on No. 16 and offered a calm, cool fist pump as he went under for 1.
Strong return for Tiger
Considering what he’s been through over the past year, Wood’s 71 in the first round has to be considered impressive. He finished the game on a par of 18 and walked away to the roar of the crowd.
Coming for the crown
Dustin Johnson, who won the Masters in 2020, joined Smith at the top of the leaderboard after this incredible shot:
On the hunt
Elsewhere, Jordan Spieth – the 2015 Masters champion – finished his first nine with 1 over par, topped by a gentle birdie.
Top full
Im, who started the day with three consecutive birdies, dumped an Eagle in 13th to join Smith and Johnson at the top of the leaderboard at 4 under par.
Take
Then Im followed with another birdie at No. 15 to take a solo lead as day one drew to a close.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Golf – PGA – Masters Tournament – 4/7/2022
