After the first round of the Masters, Tiger Woods was at 1 under. (0:29)
The last of the morning spring chill killed Tiger Woods as he started his round at the Masters. It was nice to be in the shade at Augusta National. The first hole was filled with huge crowds. No one else was playing.
Everything stopped at 11:04 a.m. You can watch Woods on Thursday. The most interesting thing in the sport isn't the current stars showcasing their skills but whether a 46-year-old man can even walk around the course. Tiger is the only story that matters for everyone who isn't really into golf, if that makes sense. There was a lot of energy for the first round. The crowd murmured as he stood over the ball, roared when he made contact and cheered him on as he dug in for the steep rise up the fairway. He spent all his energy trying not to limp.
He has been the victim of his own violent swing, of his own bad decisions, of bad luck, but he has refused to be a victim at all. He could have quit after the car wreck. The Masters gave him peace. He is still out here. It has nothing to do with his fellow golfers. There were two races being run on Thursday, as there will be any time Woods shows up to play. In the other, a group of talented competitors compete in a sport. One of the most watched men of his generation is engaged in combat with his own body. He will emerge victorious if he simply makes it to the end.
He thinks he can win.
He said he could hit it.
There was a time when Tiger no longer believed and his future was everywhere around him at Augusta. As he got worked on by his pit crew of therapists, three golf legends took the annual ceremonial first shots, officially starting the tournament. The crowds let loose huge roars for Jack, Gary, and Tom, who were given the rare privilege of feeling a little of the magic they once took for granted.
The first tee shots from the Masters are announced by Augusta chairman Fred Ridley.
Player said that when he gets on that tee in the morning, he gets quite emotional.
The three legends went into the interview room to show off their nostalgia tour, a preview of what will happen when Tiger Woods accepts that his days of competing for titles are over. That didn't feel like it was imminent. He wants to avoid joining the museum pieces who hit ceremonial shots. It is hard to know when to leave.
Player said that seeing a punch-drunk boxer and athletes try and make comebacks is worse.
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Player puffed out his chest while the three men were making jokes.
He said that he had beaten his age over 2,000 times in a row. In a row.
Jack said that they were not challenging you.
They were all moving.
I shot my age for the first time when I was 64.
"Me, too, too," he said.
Player, who is 86, said that all three of them did it at 64.
Tiger Woods believes that he has yet to win a major. He doesn't like making it around the course.
His friend Fred Couples said that he doesn't want to play.
The easy pasture of nostalgia awaits. He can see it. When Jack won his final major in 1986, he was the same age as Tiger, and Woods sat around a table as Tom got him to take all the former winners through the back nine.
"Do you want me to go shot by shot?" he asked.
"Hell yes," he said.
Everyone was leaning in when Jack did it.
The guys at the table wanted to hear what the other guys had to say, because they had been in that position before. They wanted to hear what Jack was thinking as he played the last nine holes.
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Jack talked and Tiger listened, still a man soaking up information, trying still to be writing his story, all while knowing that his own story is coming up fast. If his back and leg cooperate, he could be the doer of deeds for another 10 years. The rest of the field is trying to win a tournament, but Tiger is wrestling with the gravity that brings great champions back down to earth.
He wrestled very well on Thursday. He scored three goals. He had more than a few tee shots. He grabbed his back. He wore his pain on the outside for everyone to see. There was no hiding it. He threw a tuft of grass into the air at Amen Corner and stared blankly into the tunnel. His shots were a little short. After a ball rolled off the green, Tiger yelled "F--- off!" from the pine straw.
His swing held up. His body held up. He used his driver as a cane. He asked the air for help after talking to himself.
"Come on, leg," he muttered.
One of the famous Tiger moments was when he faced a lie in the pine straw on the back nine. He closed his eyes for a few seconds. He was preparing his body for pain. He unleashed a monster swing, his most powerful and violent swing of the day, his body twisting and rattling with gunshot recoil. The shot was perfect.
He saved par at the last hole, heading into the second round. He finished at 1 under, within striking distance of the lead. His first competitive round was a success. He left the course to endure the long ritual of getting the swelling out of his leg so he can wake up the next day and try again. He is a public man who is chasing something private. He is already knowing how this all must end, and he is watching through time with pride and amusement.
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