AUGUSTA, Ga. — If you couldn’t watch Tiger Woods’ opening round of the 2023 Masters, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
The 15-time major champion is back at Augusta National and began his quest for a record-tying sixth green jacket on Thursday morning alongside Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland.
Woods, 47, made his return to competitive golf last April at Augusta National and made the cut just 14 months after a single-car accident where he nearly lost his leg. He then shot consecutive rounds of 6-over 78 on the weekend to finish 47th.
On Thursday he shot a 2-over 74 thanks to a handful of poor putts and iron shots. Follow every shot of Tiger’s opening round below with shot-by-shot updates from Augusta National.
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Hole 1 - Par 4: Tea Olive
And we’re off. Tiger finds the short stuff right down the middle here off the first tee and his round is underway.
The Big Cat looks clean today with the white top and navy blue pants. He was moving well during his warm-up and doesn’t appear to have any sort of limp just yet (though the week is young). Okay, back to the golf.
Back-right hole location today and Tiger played this one safe, finding the green short and left, leaving a lengthy look at birdie. But hey, it’s a look at birdie! From 34 feet out Tiger timidly left this one short, but converted his four footer for par. Clean start. Here we go.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 1.
Hole 2 - Par 5: Pink Dogwood
It’s a pretty nice day here in Augusta and Tiger went to the beach off the tee here at No. 2. Hit a fade that just didn’t start out left enough and he’s in the bunker down the right side of the fairway. No shot to get to the green in two now.
As Roy McAvoy said in Tin Cup, “the Tour pro is laying up.” Tiger just advanced this one up the fairway, leaving 150 yards to the green. Not great with the wedge here. Tiger found the green, but he’s a good 30-plus feet from a more than accessible front pin. Over the years he’s dominated the par 5s here at Augusta National and this was a real missed opportunity early.
Tiger gave this one a roll but the pace didn’t match the line and it missed below the hole, leaving another testy par putt, this one from six feet. No harm no foul as the putt finds the bottom of the cup and we’re on to No. 3.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 2.
Hole 3 - Par 4: Flowering Peach
Call him Bernie Mac because Tiger was Mr. 300 with this drive. Another beauty with the big stick off the tee rolled out to 300 yards down the left side of the fairway. The short par 4 is playing just 350 yards, leaving Woods a flip wedge to the front-right hole location.
Well, no way to sugarcoat this one, just a poor effort. From the fairway Tiger missed the green well short and was left to scramble once again. His chip from below the hill up the slope ran long, and his eight-footer for par was high the whole way. Bad, bad bogey. Should’ve been birdie.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 over through 3.
Hole 4 - Par 3: Flowering Crab Apple
The first par 3 of the first nine here at Augusta National plays a whopping 240 yards, and the hole location is a tough reach here in the first round. With the pin tucked in the back right and guarded by a bunker, Woods played this one safe and found the back of the green, about 30 feet pin high.
We’ll call this one the Rodney Dangerfield putt, because he didn’t give it enough respect. Good speed but he misses low and leaves a tap-in for par. Not a bad effort, but you can tell he’s starting to get a little frustrated.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 over through 4.
Hole 5 - Par 4: Magnolia
Love this hole: dogleg left with a pair of bunkers lining the left side of the fairway in the landing zone. Tiger went with driver and he couldn’t have dropped this one in a more central part of the fairway. From 214 yards out, Tiger just found the front of the green, leaving another lengthy look at birdie. Let’s see how his lag putting is today, shall we?
That’s another putt left short to set up yet another testy par save, this one from six feet. And yikes. Hammered this one through the break and it hits the left edge and shoots off to the right of the hole, leaving a knee-knocker from 3-4 feet just to save bogey. That’s just a really poor effort from a guy who is usually pretty good from the fairway. Tough start.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 over through 5.
Hole 6 - Par 3: Juniper
This one had Tiger’s attention as he went pin-seeking from 180 yards out. This was right at the flag and just rolled past, clinging like a needy significant other to the back edge and leaving just 13 feet for his best look at birdie yet today.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Tiger left his birdie putt short. Thankfully this was inside a foot and it was a kick-in for par, but still, it’s rare to see him leave so many of these attempts on the green short.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 over through 6.
Hole 7 - Par 4: Pampas
Grip it. Rip it. Twirl it. Bop it. Tiger stepped on this one with driver and finds the left side of the fairway, some 300 yards away. He looks way more comfortable off the tee than on the greens today.
His approach shot was pretty good, but the result is less than stellar. The vast, undulating greens at Augusta National are no joke and Tiger’s ball caught a slope and rolled away from the cup. The landing area for this pin is so small, and he just missed it.
Well this was a refreshing change, as Tiger got aggressive with this putt and sure didn’t leave it short. This one had no shot at stopping and rolls five feet past the cup, but it’s good to see him go for one after playing a little defensively so far.
How does that old Britney Spears song go?
“Oops, he, missed it again. He hit it too hard. Caught the lip and made bogey. Oh Tiger, Tiger.”
Or something like that. Just doesn’t have it on the greens today. Another bad bogey from a primo spot in the fairway.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 3 over through 7.
Hole 8 - Par 5: Yellow Jasmine
The Big Cat took a big cut at this one and picked up his tee quickly. That’s when you know he liked it. The hole doglegs to the left and has an oddly-shaped bunker guarding the right side, but Tiger avoided the trouble and found the left side of the fairway. He’s swinging the driver with so much confidence today, if only he could make a putt or two.
After a lengthy wait for the green to clear Tiger took a fairway metal to this one but came up short and left in a cluster of trees that jut out into the line of sight to the back-right hole location. I stand corrected! This actually kicked through the trees and he got a lucky lie in the short grass in front of the green.
Oh wow, this was good. First truly great shot we’ve seen from Tiger today nearly holes out for an improbable eagle but just came up short. That’s a much-needed tap-in birdie to stop the bleeding.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 over through 8.
Hole 9 - Par 4: Carolina Cherry
YAHTZEE! This was roped with driver down the right side of the fairway and got a little extra love down the hill. That club has been money all morning.
He was visibly uncomfortable with this shot as his ball was considerably below his feet. With that surgically repaired right leg and that’s held together by pins and bolts, that kind of stance means trouble. The approach missed the green to the right, and he’ll have a long-distance attempt for his third to reach the back-left hole location. Tiger’s chip had a lotta juice and this one seemed to be running off the back of the green before it checked up and took the slope back towards the hole. He cleaned up his five-footer for par and will now make his turn towards the second nine.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 over through 9.
Thoughts at the turn ...
Could be better, could be worse. Tiger has been so good with his driver and so average (almost bad) in every other aspect of his game. He’s missed a few welcoming hole locations and left a handful of putts short, not to mention hitting the lip of the hole twice for two of his three bogeys.
The vibes are low but if anyone can throw a jolt of electricity into a crowd among the Georgia pines, it’s Tiger Woods. To the second nine we go.
Hole 10 - Par 4: Camellia
Another driver here for Tiger and this one was flirting with trouble down the left side. He avoided the trees but did find the rough for the first time today. From the shaggy stuff he hit an absolute gem that looked to be going right at the flag but took a kick off a slope on the green and rolled just inside 20 feet away.
Just like a bad sommelier, he failed to pair the wine with the pasta as his speed didn’t match the line to the hole, missing low. Par.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 over through 10.
Hole 11 - Par 4: White Dogwood
You can tell he’s getting frustrated when he swings like this. B-e-a-utiful shot down the left side goes 317 yards to set up a good look at the hole from 217 yards. Oh what a bad kick. His approach hit the slope leading up to the elevated green and kicked back down the hill, leaving a really difficult pitch.
Welp, that isn’t good either. Life’s a beach and Tiger’s playing from the sand once again as this pitch went high in the air and came up a few feet short of the green in the bunker.
From there he got crafty and splashed his shot out of the sand trap and converted the bogey save. Not a great result, but it certainly could have been worse.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 3 over through 11.
Hole 12 - Par 3: Golden Bell
The heart of Amen Corner. This hole has been a blessing and a burden for Tiger in the past but he finds the middle-left portion of the green, some 40 feet to a back-right hole location.
Man, he wanted this one. Great speed and solid line but just couldn’t find the bottom of the cup as this one just slips below the hole. Much better stroke than we’ve seen so far today. That’s a par and just like Jay-Z on the Blueprint III, we’re on to the next one.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 3 over through 12.
Hole 13 - Par 5: Azalea
Solid swing here but the drive was too straight for the dogleg left hole. This one runs through the fairway into the rough and almost rolled into the pine straw. He had zero chance of finding the green in two from there and sensibly lays up and advances his ball down the fairway. Not a smart decision because it was really his only decision, but he did well to leave himself a good number to the hole.
From just inside 80 yards he hits this one a bit too far past the hole and tried to spin it back off a slope, but it stops sooner than he would’ve liked and leaves 20 feet for birdie. Gave this one a good look and tried to let it just trickle into the cup but, once again, misses low on the amateur side. Par. He’s been so close to canning a few of these.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 3 over through 13.
Hole 14 - Par 4: Chinese Fir
FORE LEFT! This one had no shot at the fairway off the clubface and flies into the patrons standing beneath the trees. Believe it or not Tiger actually had an angle at the green, he just had to go up and over some trees to get there. Just when it looked like had had pulled off the shot, his ball hit the last tree on its descent and brought down a big piece of bark with it.
Short of the green with a downhill slope between him and the hole, Tiger did so well to let gravity do its thing and landed his ball on the slope to let it trickle down to three feet. That’s a great up-and-down for par given where his tee shot and approach went.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 3 over through 14.
Hole 15 - Par 5: Firethorn
BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE. Driver. 326 yards. That’ll play all day long. From the left side of the fairway he’ll have a good angle to the front right pin. I stand corrected again as Tiger elected to simply punch this one down the fairway to set up a third approach to the green, where he desperately needs to get up-and-down for birdie to get something going today.
Good, not great here as he finds the green but still leaves just inside 30 feet to the cup. His irons used to be his bread and butter, but today they’ve been a burden.
This guy. Of course he makes it. This putt had some considerable break and he played it absolutely perfect. At 2 over with three to play, Tiger has a chance to turn this round … around.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 over through 15.
Hole 16 - Par 3: Redbud
Now THIS looks more like the Tiger we’re used to seeing. The final par 3 of the day plays to 170 yards and he’s in the mix for consecutive birdies. Tiger lands this one on the green and does well to control the spin to keep it pin-high, some eight feet left of the hole. Chirp-chirp! No doubt about this one, and there’s the first big Tiger roar of the round. That’s back-to-back birdies, word to Drake, and the Big Cat has his round back on track.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 over through 16.
Hole 17 - Par 4: Nandina
Sixteen down, two to go. Tiger pulls driver again and its a beauty down the middle. 303 yards. Useful. From the fairway Tiger lands his ball right where I am at weddings: in the middle of the dance floor. From the center of the green he’ll have 26 feet for a third straight birdie. He made one from distance two holes ago, why not again?
Like a card game in Las Vegas, no dice. But he did two-putt for par to set up a chance to birdie No. 18 and get to even on the round.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 over through 17.
Hole 18 - Par 4: Holly
His final swing off the tee is a good one, but a big kick will leave him with an awkward stance. I mean this would be bad for anyone who doesn’t have a right leg that’s held together by a bunch of metal.
Did the bet he could from here and you could tell it hurt. Had one foot in the bunker and punched this one towards the green, but missed right and found another bunker. Short-sided to the pin, he splashed out to the right and was left with a 17-footer to save his par and avoid another bogey, but like a kid who needs the bathroom, his putt had too much juice. He cleaned up for bogey to add a stroke back and seal the deal for a forgettable round.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 2-over 74.
