Tiger Woods is back after a hiatus of nine months at Albany, Bahamas. The last time he appeared on the green was at the Masters Tournament in April, from which he had to withdraw mid-game owing to his aggravated plantar fasciitis. But now, Woods is back with his tee shot at par-3, hole two, into a bunker. Although his opening round was a little rusty, witnessing him play on Thursday was a sight to remember. Woods ended up finishing the round with 3 over 75.
The legend himself admitted that he wasn’t happy with his performance and that it didn’t go as he expected it to. The Hall of Famer had a one-under-par score after fourteen holes. But a poor swing of the club led the ball into a shrub at par five, hole fifteen, crediting him with a double bogey.
Relatable. pic.twitter.com/K8JqO39R8W
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 30, 2023
Going forward, he bogeyed the next two holes as well. In the entire round, he managed to secure four birdies, with the third-hole birdie being from a 12-foot shot, followed by a fifth-hole birdie from a 28-foot shot, and an 11th-hole birdie from a 48-foot shot. Six of his total drives travelled a distance equal to 600 yards. Woods thus believes that there was, in fact, a lack of commitment from his side.
Tiger Woods Unhappy and Doubtful of His Round One Performance
Woods joined in an interview post round one of the Hero World Challenge and shed light on his comeback performance.
“I had really a lack of commitment through most of the middle part of my round and finishing. You take it for granted, I guess, when you’re playing all the time…I was thinking about doing it…should I do this or not, by then I’m pulling the trigger. I shouldn’t really pull the trigger. Hit a bad shot…It was a lack of commitment to what I was doing and feeling.”
Added to that, he also said,
“I just didn’t mentally do the things I normally would do, and I need to do. I still hit it solid, but I hit it crooked. I’ve always had a knack of hitting the ball in the middle of the face, but I need to do a better job where I need to hit it in my windows”.
Woods didn’t show any sign of pain in his leg but admitted that he was sore after a tiring day. The 15-time major winner further continued talking about his physical health being mine but mentally being “rusty,” which resulted in a lot of errors. Quite certainly, golf is a game that requires the amalgamation of both physical and mental calculation. After round 1, Woods stands at T18 on the leaderboard. But his partner, Justin Thomas, sits at T8.
“Who needs an ice bath more?”
“Me.”
@TigerWoods and @JustinThomas34 are having some fun in the Bahamas pic.twitter.com/irJT2lHkiy— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 30, 2023
Thomas carded six birdies on holes 3, 9, 10, 11, 15, and 18. His total was 2 under 70 at the end of Thursday. Tony Finau and Brian Harman sit atop the leaderboard, sharing first place with 67.
Woods has another tournament coming up with his son Charlie Woods at the PNC Championship, which is also in December. Will he be able to finally grab a win with his son after a close call in 2021? Only time will tell.
