Tiger Woods cards 1-under 71 in opening round of Masters at Augusta National

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In his first competitive round of golf in 509 days, five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 71 in the first round Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club.

Woods was 3 shots behind the leader after his round.

The first round of the tournament was held after Woods was seriously injured in a car accident. He hadn't played in a regular tour event since November 2020, when he tied for 38th at the Masters because of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Speaking after the round, Woods said that he hit it "awful" while warming up but was happy with where he finished.

He said that as the round built, he was able to get into the red. He made two stupid mistakes at 8. I fought back. I am right where I need to be for the day.

Woods made a 29-foot putt on the 16th hole to get to 1 under. He raised his fist to the crowd after the ball dropped.

It was an up-and-down round for Woods, who is playing for the first time with a rod in his right leg and screws and plates in his right ankle and foot. He told reporters in December that surgeons almost had to amputate his leg.

After 17 months away from competitive golf, Woods had good putting and iron play, but his tee shots seemed to lack power and distance. His chipping and pitching was the worst part of his game. Through the first nine holes, Woods only needed 13 putts. He bogeyed the eighth and made a bogey on the sixth. He was at even-par 36.

At one point, Woods missed five greens. He was able to get up and down on four of those holes, with the exception of the eighth. He made a 10-foot putt on the first hole and an 8-footer on the ninth to save par.

Woods made a bogey on the 13th but rebounded with a par on the 14th. One of his best shots of the round was his second shot on that hole. He knocked his ball to 24 feet and then two-putted for a touchdown.

Woods gave it back on the next hole after leaving his tee shot in the trees. His second shot on the 14th probably answered any questions about his right leg. Woods tried to get his ball through the trees with a violent swing. A bad pitch left him with an 8-footer for par, as his ball settled just over the green. He missed the putt.

It was a good start for the 15-time major champion, who last won at Augusta National in 2019. In his previous Masters appearances, Woods only broke 70 in the first round twice. His opening round scoring average is a full shot higher than his second round average and 2 strokes higher than his third round average.

The statistics came from rounds Woods played. His ability to bounce back will be a big factor in his chances of winning a sixth green jacket, which would tie Jack Nicklaus for the most ever.