DUBLIN, Ohio – The first Tiger Woods PGA Tour event in over 150 days started and ended the same way: with a birdie.
Woods, playing in his first touring event since February, shot 71 in the first round of the Memorial Tournament on Thursday.
“Well, it’s been a while since I played,” Woods said. “I had an almost ideal start and had an idea of the round early. I just didn’t do anything today. I had birdie looks, but I really didn’t do much.”
On a day when not many golfers were successful, Woods tied for 18th, five strokes behind leader Tony Finau (-6). Woods showed no signs of rust as two of his four birdies made it to the first three holes. And two of his three bogies occurred in the first nine, where he finished at par 36.
Woods did not take advantage of par 3, as he shot 2 in all four holes. He ended his long-awaited comeback by making a 14-foot birdie at No. 18 that would likely have included a roar from the crowd if fans had attended the tournament.
“Well, I wish I had started with easier conditions,” he said. “The wind was blowing and spinning all over the place, and it was different. It was hot, the ball was running, it was getting there. When I saw last week I wasn’t doing that, and certainly the practice round wasn’t doing that. But the golf course has changed. It has become faster and will only continue to get faster. “
The 71 was better than the previous round Woods played, when he shot 77 to finish last among those who made the cut at the Genesis Invitational on February 16. He said he was dealing with stiff back throughout the tournament.
The only other time Woods has played since February was when he teamed up with former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning to play Phil Mickelson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady at a charity event for May to raise funds for coronavirus relief.
“It felt good [to be back]. I mean, it felt good, “Woods said.” It was a little rusty, but I felt it was a good start overall. “
Woods said he is not concerned about the brief trade as he will play at 8:17 am ET with Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka in the second round on Friday.
“I’ve felt good about my training in the past few months,” Woods said, “and I’ve prepared for this.”
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