Page 19 - aruba-today-20161202

A19
SPORTS Friday 2 december 2016
Tiger Woods returns with mixed bag and a 73

DOUG FERGUSON year there were times he the club as it sailed into a
AP Golf Writer wondered he had played bush. He had to play that
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — his last tournament. backward to the fairway,
Not only did Tiger Woods With high anticipation, he pitched a wedge some 30
return to golf Thursday, he tugged his opening tee feet by and made double
returned to being Tiger. shot into the rough on the bogey. And then on the
Just not for long. left edge of a bunker and 18th, he pulled his driver
Hardly looking like a player gouged that out to 15 feet and immediately slammed
who had not competed for par. Just like that, it all the club into the turf as he
in 466 days, Woods ran off started to feel as though he watched for the splash.
three straight birdies with had never been away. His pitch hit the pin — it was
a variety of shots and was “By the time I hit my tee too strong, anyway — and
tied for the lead in the Hero shot on the second hole, he missed from 20 feet for
World Challenge as he ap- I had already gotten into another bogey.
proached the turn. the flow of the round,” “Just made some really silly
Three shots in the bushes, Woods said. “That’s some- mistakes, mistakes I don’t
one shot in the water and thing that for me, when I’ve normally make,” Woods
a few fits of anger sent taken layoffs and taken said. “But I haven’t played
him toward the bottom of breaks, it’s how quickly can in a while. Unfortunately, I
the pack. A pair of dou- I find the feel of the round? made those mistakes. I can
ble bogeys over the final To not play in 15, 16 months clean that up. We’ve got
three holes ruined an oth- and get it on the second three more days. Wind is Tiger Woods lines up a putt on the first hole during the first round
erwise impressive return, hole is nice.” supposed to pump on the at the Hero World Challenge golf tournament, Thursday, Dec. 1,
and Woods shot 40 on the He also knew that with only weekend, and I’ll be play- 2016, in Nassau, Bahamas.
back nine at Albany Golf a stiff tropical wind behind ing a little bit better.”q Associated Press
Club and had to settle for him on three of the par 5s,
a 1-over 73. scores would be low.
He was in 17th place in the For a short time, Woods
18-man field. Only Justin seemed up to the task. He
Rose had a higher score. hit a 5-iron from 231 yards
Even so, Woods has rea- just over the green and
son to be encouraged. passed his first test, a 30-
After taking off 15 months yard pitch-and-run and
to recover from two back that checked slightly and
surgeries, he felt no pain or rolled out to a few feet
limitations. His misses were from the hole for a birdie .
not big, just costly. And he He faced a more difficult
was playing again. pitch up the slope on the
“It could have been some- next hole and hit a chunk-
thing really good,” Woods and-run to 3 feet.
said. “I got off to a nice, His confidence kept build-
solid start and made a few ing — the flop shot from 40
mistakes there. I didn’t play yards to 5 feet for birdie on
the par 5s very well in the the par-5 sixth, the wedge
middle part of the round to 5 feet for birdie on the
and consequently, got it seventh, and a 6-iron he
going the wrong way. ... But struck so well on the par-3
all in all, I feel pretty good. eighth that he was asking
I’m looking forward to an- for perfection. “One yard!
other three more days.” One yard!” he said as the
He was nine shots behind ball was in the air, and then
J.B. Holmes, who opened settled 2 feet away.
with an 8-under 64 and At that point he was tied
had a one-shot lead over with Holmes.
Hideki Matsuyama, with But he flubbed a pitch on
U.S. Open champion Dustin the par-5 ninth and made
Johnson at 66. bogey. Two holes later, he
Curiosity was greater than flared an iron from the san-
expectations for Woods, dy waste area into a bush
who was coming off the and had to take a penalty
longest hiatus of his golf- shot, making another bo-
ing life. Plagued by back gey on a par 5. Woods was
problems since 2013 when still hanging around in the
he was No. 1 in the world, middle of the pack when
he finally shut it down after he hit 7-iron to 12 feet on
tying for 10th in the Wynd- the par-5 15th and two-
ham Championship on putted for birdie.
Aug. 23, 2015, and then And then it all fell apart.
going through two back Froom the middle of the
surgeries. 16th fairway, he pulled his
He was in so much pain last approach and dropped