Tiger Woods made an impressive comeback at the 86th Masters, one four-stroke to 71 years behind Sung-Jae Im, who became the sole leader after the first round at the Augusta National. Tiger Woods was on track for a great first round at the 86th Master’s event, breaking parity to finish one under 71. The question was whether Tiger Woods Masters could continue their second round momentum on Friday and push through. Tiger Woods called on all of his hard-earned stamina and knowledge gained from five past triumphs to launch his most daring Masters’ offering with a 71 score below par 71 at Thursday’s Augusta National.
Tiger Woods was two under par and four shots out after the first round during his win at the 2019 Masters Tournament. In his first competitive round from November 2020 and less than 14 months into a near-fatal car crash, Tiger Woods put together an impressive round of 1 under par 71s on Thursday to start Round 2 on Friday with just four shots from the lead. Tiger Woods was in 10th place, four shots behind South Korean Im Sung-Jae, who began his round with three straight throws and five reeds and an eagle out of five under 67. While Tiger Woods was expecting a tie before nine, fellow player Joaquin Niemann of Mexico received massive applause when he scored his second 105-yard par-4 throw, ninth for an eagle, and became the first player to reach 3-under for the 86th Master.
After Woods’ 17-month suspension from competitive golf, his hitting and tee play were good, while his tees seemed to lack power and range. It was a high and low round for Woods, who played in the competition for the first time with a pole in his right shin and screws and plates in his ankle and right foot. Of course, these statistics are from Woods’s rounds before his car accident. A marvellous save later, and the five-time Masters champion pulled a 71 that won’t get a second look in his eventual annals but still left his jaw on the ground if you saw it.
Given his status as a five-time Masters champion (the best player ever), what he got at the Augusta National (five green jackets, no misses in 21 tries as a pro) and the hardships he faces (“things … that no one doesn’t wish’), 1-under 71 is a 71 that will go down as one of the most notable rounds in Masters history. The five-time Masters champion gave the crowd what they came to see with arguably the cleanest hit of the day, which he highlighted with the proper birdie pomp. Tiger Woods walks confidently, albeit constantly limping, in front of a massive crowd on Thursday morning to start the second round on Friday.
