Tiger Woods

The day belonged to Tiger Woods, but Augusta National belonged to Sungjae Im.

The 2020 runner-up carded a five-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead in the first round of the 2022 Masters Tournament. 

Im carded five birdies against two bogeys and added a brilliant eagle on the par-five 13th to give himself an advantage over Cameron Smith, who is alone in second at four under.

"This is a tournament that brings so many great players and legends together, and my primary goal is to make the cut," Im told reporters Tuesday. "Once I get there, then I will try to bear down over the final two rounds."

Smith went to the 18th tee box lapping the field at six under but double-bogeyed to go into the clubhouse with a 68. The Australian opened and capped his round with doubles, sprinkling in eight birdies over the remaining 16 holes.

Danny Willett, Joaquin Niemann, Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson are all tied for third place at three under. 

That said, none of the aforementioned players had even a quarter of Woods' gallery size. 

Even as he sits four strokes off the lead, Woods remained the overwhelming focus of the Masters crowd. The 15-time major champion was playing in his first PGA Tour tournament since the 2020 Masters and his first since nearly having his leg amputated as a result of a February 2021 car crash.

While there were some clear signs Woods is not the same player he once was—particularly his approach off the tee—it's hard to imagine a better possible round. He carded three birdies against two bogeys while making several key par saves to finish at one-under 71.

The highlight of his round came at the par-three sixth, when Woods nearly hit a hole-in-one before tapping in for an easy birdie. 

“I felt good,” Woods told reporters after the round. “Once the adrenaline kicks in and I get into my own little world, I knew I should be able to handle business.”

There were times when Woods' physical limitations came into play. He audibly said "come on, leg" after an errant tee shot at No. 14. 

"I can hit it just fine," Woods said. "Walking is the hard part."

As far as being a man who still isn't comfortable walking goes, sitting in a tie for 11th place in the year's biggest major is already a massive victory. Suffice it to say Woods, arguably the greatest golfer in history, isn't one for moral victories.

Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama sits one stroke behind Woods after carding an even-par 72. No one has won the Masters in consecutive years since Woods pulled off the feat in 2001 and 2002; only three people (Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo) have repeated at Augusta.

Other notables, including Rory McIlroy (+1), Jon Rahm (+2) and Bryson DeChambeau (+4), had much rougher outings and could be flirting with the cut line Friday evening. 

Tiger Woods shot a one-under 71 in the first round of the Masters tournament Thursday, marking his return to professional golf after a 14-month hiatus following a February 2021 car crash in which he suffered serious leg injuries.

After the round, Woods went on ESPN for a post-round interview. When asked what his plans are over the next 24 hours to get ready for the second round Friday, Woods smiled and replied that it will involve "lots of ice."

Woods suffered comminuted open fractures to both the upper and lower tibia and fibula in the one-car crash, per Dr. Anish Mahajan, the interim CEO and chief medical officer of Harbor-UCLA Hospital.

USA Today's Chris Bumbaca provided more information: "'Comminuted' means there were multiple fragments of the tibia and fibula shattering, ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell said on the network Wednesday morning. 'Open fractures' are otherwise known as compound fractures, meaning the bone has protruded through the skin."

Since the crash, Woods' only competitive golf prior to Thursday came in the two-round PNC Championship with his 12-year-old son, Charlie, last December. The two finished second in the 20-team field. 

Woods looked good Thursday, registering three birdies and two bogeys:

He elaborated on his condition with Collins (h/t Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times).

"I felt good," Woods said. "The whole idea was to keep pushing but keep recovering. ... I've been doing that.

"I figured once the adrenaline kicks in and I get fired up and get in my little world, I can get down to business."

That's exactly what he did as he played consistently throughout the round, parring 13 of 18 holes.

Woods will tee off Friday at 1:41 p.m. ET with Joaquin Niemann and Louis Oosthuizen. He's almost certain to make the cut. The top 50 and ties will be included in the field, and that currently means anyone at two over or better.

Tiger Woods didn't hesitate when asked Tuesday if he believes he can win the Masters, simply telling reporters, "I do."

He will have some work to do thanks to a quick start from Cameron Smith, but who can really doubt Woods after he battled his way to a one-under 71 as the main attraction of Thursday's opening round?

Woods is always one of the biggest storylines at the Masters, even under normal circumstances.

The 15-time major champion and 82-time PGA Tour title winner has five green jackets and 14 top-10 finishes at Augusta National Golf Club on his illustrious resume. Only Jack Nicklaus (six) has more Masters titles, making Tiger appointment viewing whenever he tees up at the season's first major.

Yet this year presented anything but normal circumstances.

This tournament is Woods' first official PGA Tour event since November 2020 because of serious leg injuries he suffered in a February 2021 car crash. He required surgery and said amputation was considered at one point.

Even walking 72 holes, let alone playing at a championship level, figured to be a challenge for the all-time great.

"You know, 72 holes is a long road, and it's going to be a tough challenge and a challenge that I'm up for," Woods told reporters Tuesday.

He looked more than up for it right out of the gates.

Woods drained a medium-length putt to save par on the first hole after missing the fairway and the green in his first two shots, and he seemed to settle in after that. He ripped off five straight pars to start his round and just missed a birdie when his putt on the fifth rimmed out.

Rather than linger on the near-miss, he unleashed a dart of a tee shot on the par-three sixth to set up his first official birdie in his return to golf.

It became a battle from there, as he overcame poor tee shots on the seventh and ninth holes to save par but struggled with his approach to the green on the par-five eighth and gave back a stroke with a bogey.

The cliche that one can't win a tournament on the first day but can lose it exists for a reason, and Woods continued to keep himself well within striking distance with a steady dose of pars on Nos. 10, 11 and 12 that showed off his scrambling ability.

That steady streak of play put him in position to move back into the red numbers on the par-five 13th, and he delivered with a birdie after reaching the green in two.

While he gave a stroke back with a bogey on the 14th following a poor drive, it was clear he was dialed in with excellent approach shots from out of the tree area on back-to-back holes. And then the moment the galleries were waiting for arrived on No. 16 when he drilled a long birdie putt and punctuated it with a fist pump.

The Augusta roar was back, and it surely won't go anywhere in the later rounds after he finished his inspiring showing with two more pars. The last one fittingly came on a scramble and medium-length putt, mirroring much of the round's theme.

Tiger Woods appears ready to go at the 2022 Masters Tournament. When he arrived at Augusta National Golf Club, it wasn't clear whether the 46-year-old was going to play at the event, especially once he tweeted Sunday that he would be a "game-time decision" for Thursday's opening round.

But things have gone well for Woods in his preparation for the Masters, which would be his first tournament appearance since he suffered severe injuries in a car crash in February 2021. He played a practice round Monday; held a press conference Tuesday, in which he discussed his intent to play in (and win) the 2022 Masters; and he played in Wednesday's Par 3 Tournament alongside his son, Charlie, and Justin Thomas.

Perhaps, all things considered, expectations should be tempered for Woods this year. He's 46 and trying to become the oldest champion in Masters history. And while he's had plenty of comebacks over the years, there was a time following his car crash when it seemed he may never return to competition.

Still, it's hard not to get excited when thinking about Woods taking on his counterparts at Augusta National. If he finds a way to win there again, his sixth Masters title would tie Jack Nicklaus' record, and it would be his second in four years.

Here are the latest odds, per DraftKings Sportsbook, for Woods heading into the 2022 Masters:

• To win: +4000 (bet $100 to win $4,000)
• To finish in top five: +800
• To finish in top 10: +500

And ahead of the Masters, Woods has been impressing his fellow golfers.

"It's amazing if you think about where he was at a year ago to now," Jordan Spieth said, per Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press. "I don't know how many people—if anybody—could be out here. And this is not an easy walk. So to be out here and not to throw his age in the mix, but I don't think that helps much for that recovery. But is anybody surprised?"

It also wouldn't be a surprise if Woods somehow put together a strong performance. He's made the cut in each of his past 21 Masters appearances. The only time he's missed the cut at the event was in 1996, his first appearance as a pro.

Most of Woods' best Masters showings came early in his career. He won the tournament in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005, and he finished in the top six every year from 2005 to 2011. After tying for 32nd in 2018, he bounced back and won in 2019, finishing at 13 under par.

Not everybody is expecting Woods to contend for the win. But that's his goal for the tournament.

"I don't show up to an event unless I think I can win it. So that's the attitude I've had," Woods said, per Ferguson. "There will be a day when it won't happen, and I'll know when that is."

Woods is set to tee off for the first round Thursday at 10:34 a.m. ET, and he will be playing alongside Joaquin Niemann and Louis Oosthuizen. It will be important for Woods to get off to a strong start if he's going to have success at the Masters, as it would set the tone for the rest of his time at the tournament.

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Tiger Woods has become by far the most popular bet to win the 2022 Masters.

"Woods is now ahead of everyone by over 1,000 tickets," Max Meyer, spokesperson for Caesars Sportsbook, told ESPN's David Purdum on Wednesday.

The five-time Masters champion suffered significant leg injuries in a car crash 14 months ago, and he hasn't competed in a PGA Tour event since November 2020. He surprised the world by showing up to Augusta National for practice rounds, saying that he is now preparing to play. 

Though he is still considered a long shot with 40-1 odds at DraftKings, fans are expecting big things from the superstar. Just in 2019, Woods won the Masters for his first major title in 11 years.

A similar result would create a major liability for sportsbooks.

"Tiger winning the Masters would be the worst result for us at any golf tournament since we started operating in the U.S. by far," Jay Croucher, head of trading for PointsBet, said.

While the general public will certainly be rooting for Tiger this week, the books will hope favorites like Jon Rahm or Rory McIlroy finish in first place.

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Tiger Woods is scheduled to tee off the first round of the 2022 Masters Tournament at 10:34 a.m. ET on Thursday alongside Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann.

Augusta National Golf Club announced the full slate of tee times for the first two rounds of the season's first major on Tuesday. Here's a look at some other notable groups with their opening-round start times:

• 10:45 a.m. ET: Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, James Piot
• 10:56 a.m. ET: Adam Scott, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau
• 1:30 p.m. ET: Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel, Collin Morikawa
• 1:41 p.m. ET: Will Zalatoris, Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm
• 1:52 p.m. ET: Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele
• 2:03 p.m. ET: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy

Woods confirmed during his press conference Tuesday he's planning to play "as of right now," which would be his first official appearance since November 2020, and said he's teeing it up with the intent of being in contention:

He's a five-time Masters champion, and 1992 Masters winner Fred Couples, who played alongside Tiger and Justin Thomas in a practice round Monday, said his game looked in fine form.

"He looked phenomenal," Couples told reporters. "What impressed me the most is he was bombing it. I know JT's not the longest hitter on tour, but I know he's damn long. He was with him, flushing it."

With his game seemingly in good shape, the question surrounds whether his right leg, which was seriously injured in a February 2021 car crash, can physically handle four trips around Augusta.

Meanwhile, Hideki Matsuyama arrives as the defending champion after a final-round 65 to win last year's tournament by four strokes.

Matsuyama isn't the top choice on the betting markets to defend his title, though. Jon Rahm is the slight favorite over Thomas and a host of others, according to FanDuel Sportsbook:

The Masters will begin Thursday at 8 a.m. when Jose Maria Olazabal and J.J. Spaun are the first players from the 91-golfer field to tee off.

Digital coverage will be available all four days on the Masters' official website. On television, ESPN will handle the first two rounds (3 p.m. ET both days) followed by CBS for the weekend (3 p.m. ET on Saturday and 2 p.m. ET on Sunday).

A champion will be crowned around 7 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Tiger Woods' status for the upcoming Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club is unclear, but fans still packed the green on Monday to watch him practice alongside Fred Couples and Justin Thomas. 

Couples was impressed by Woods' performance, too.

"He looked phenomenal," he said, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "What impressed me the most is he was bombing it. I know JT's not the longest hitter on tour, but I know he's damn long. [Tiger] was with him, flushing it."

Couples added: "If he can walk around here for 72 holes, he'll contend. He's too good."

During his practice round, he missed two of seven fairways and three greens. However, Couples noted there wasn't much intent behind his putts Monday: 

He didn't putt much, but it's Tiger Woods, he knows how to putt, he knows how to play this course. And the driver was a machine. He hit it in the bunker on 2 but he smoked it, drove it pin high almost on 3. He looks great. The sound of the ball—so I'm comparing it to JT who's a top-two, top-three player in the world. They both looked good. JT looked very good, too.

Woods has not played in a PGA Tour event in more than a year after suffering significant injuries to his right leg in a February 2021 car crash in California. He had a rod, pins and screws inserted into his leg and told reporters in November that he almost had his right leg amputated. 

The 46-year-old last played an official event at the 2020 November Masters and finished tied for 38th. However, he has slowly worked his way back to form, playing with his son Charlie in the PNC Championship in December. They finished second. 

Woods has also been playing at The Medalist near his home in Jupiter, Florida, and played 18 holes at Augusta National last week. 

If Woods competes in this weekend's Masters, he'll be hoping to win his sixth tournament and first since 2019. However, he's not expected to win it all after returning from his life-threatening injuries.