Tiger Woods describes ‘awesome’ comeback

The hard bit of the comeback is probably over. Now he can concentrate on the job at hand.

Tiger Woods got the big return to Augusta National out the way on the opening day of The Masters and said he felt ‘pretty good’ to be back on the major trail again.

He said: “I played in a major championship again, but also the fact that I got myself back in this tournament, and I could have easily let it slip away. And I fought hard to get it back in there, and I’m back in this championship. There’s a lot of holes to be played.”

Woods got his round off to a shocking start by carving one off the first tee with a 3-wood, hitting a patron in the crowd.

“Hit a little fade up the left side. It didn’t fade,” he joked.

Woods eventually signed for a one-over 73 to sit five back of leader Tony Finau.

“There are a lot of guys right around two-over, and that will be close to four or five at the end of the day. It’s going to be packed, we knew that. The weather is going to change. The next 54 holes will be fun”

The buzz on the property before Woods teed off was electric and he admitted that was as much of a thrill to him as anybody else.

“The crowds have been incredible,” he added. “It’s been awesome this entire comeback. I got a standing ovation on the range. Coming up to the first tee, the people came out of the clubhouse and the putting green. They’re really into it.

“The nerves really were just normal. I wasn’t flying high. I wasn’t jittery. I wasn’t any of that stuff. I was very confident in what I was doing. And I hit some good shots early. Unfortunately they just didn’t continue.”