Tiger Woods posts a respectable score in his Bahamas comeback
Tiger Woods plays his shot from the fourth tee during the first round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course. Photo: Getty Images
Tiger Woods walked comfortably and showed plenty of power but his seven-month injury lay-off showed as he dropped four shots in his last four holes and opened with a three-over 75 in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
Playing for the first time since undergoing ankle surgery, the 15-time Major winner was rusty, especially around the greens, three-putting twice and mixing four birdies with five bogeys and a double-bogey seven at Albany Golf Club.
“I was rusty,” said Woods, who was 18th in the 20-man field, eight shots behind Tony Finau and Open champion Brian Harman, whose 67s gave them a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth. “I didn’t have my feels and conditions were tough early.
“I kind of hung through there and I did not finish off the round the way I needed to and consequently, it kind of went sideways at the end.
“I had really a lack of commitment through most of the middle part of my round and finishing. I just didn’t quite commit to what I was doing and feeling.”
He began by launching a 326-yard drive down the first, then brushed in a 22-footer for birdie at the par-five third and sandwiched a birdie two at the fifth between bogeys at the fourth and sixth before running out of steam coming home.
Birdies at the 11th and 14th against a bogey at the 12th left him one-under before he made a double-bogey seven at the par-five 15th, then followed a bogey at the 16th with a three-putt at the 17th.
As Woods was making his comeback, LIV Golf released a low-key field for the inaugural LIV Golf Promotions event for three spots in LIV Golf at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from December 8-10.
Royal Dublin amateur Max Kennedy (21) has joined fellow Palmer Cup player Ryan Griffin (23) at the tournament.
They will battle for a $200,000 (€184,000) payday in a field that also features former PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner and ex-Ryder Cup stars Victor Dubuisson of France and Jeff Overton.
Meanwhile, Swede Joakim Lagergren opened with a seven-under 65 to lead South Africa’s Casey Jarvis by a shot at the South African Open in Johannesburg.
South African Open, 10am
Hero World Challenge, 5.30pm
(both live on Sky Sports)
