(CNN) Tiger Woods admitted he was in “constant” pain during his opening tour of the tournament Gentlemen Thursday.
The 47-year-old can be seen flailing at various points across a turbulent start, taking a two-over 74 in his 25th appearance in the Premier League. Augusta National.
The match saw the five-time Masters champion finish nine shots within a stone’s throw of fellow Norwegian Victor Hovland, who returned to the club tied for the lead after a scintillating seven-player opening round.
Woods said on Tuesday that he’s not sure If this week will be his last tournament appearance. The fifteen-time champion’s competitive appearances have been on and off since he suffered severe leg injuries in a serious car accident in 2021.
Woods reacts with his close putt on the 11th hole.
a Dramatic comeback In 2022, Masters saw Woods shock many by making the cut, but his physical struggles navigating Augusta’s mountainous terrain were evident, compounded by surgery that placed a bar and pins in his right leg.
A year later, he closed his opening round with a jumper on his left leg after an awkward escape shot from a bunker on the 18th hole. He questioned Woods about the condition of his leg after his round, and he was blunt.
“Painful,” he told reporters.
He added, “Hop on the left leg is fine. If you do it on the other, that’s fine.”
A slow start saw Woods open with three bogeys across his first seven holes, but the five-time Masters champ rallied with birdie in the eighth.
Then collectively throughout the day, the crowd nearly erupted when Woods cracked a stunning approach, only to be denied an eagle by mere inches.
Woods hits his approach on the seventh hole.
A fourth bogey in the 11th dropped him back to three, but Woods appeared to be collecting final ornaments with back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th holes. However, Woods narrowly missed a birdie putt to bring him up to par on the penultimate hole, complicating Ghost Woods on a frustrating afternoon.
Woods has only missed a cut once in his previous 24 games in Augusta and will tie Fred Kobles and Gary Player for most consecutive cuts in the Major if he makes it to the weekend.
But with a raft of players making solid starts, Woods will likely need a renewed second run to pull off the feat.
“I felt like I drove it well,” Woods said. “I didn’t do the job I needed to get close to the ball.” “Today was the time to get on the ball – to get the role on par, and I didn’t do that today.
“Most guys are holding back today. This was the day to do it. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be a little bit better, sharper, and kind of work my way through that.
“That’s going to be an exciting end to the tournament with the weather. If I can kind of stay there, maybe kind of on the way back, I hope it’s positive towards the end.”
Woods is set to take part in the second round on Friday at 1:24 PM ET (6:24 PM GMT).
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