A new, surgically modified version of Tiger Woods, armed with new equipment and downsized expectations, launched his latest comeback on the PGA Tour on Thursday by shooting an even-par 72 on the South Course at Torrey Pines during the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open.
A seven-time winner of the event, Woods finished the round tied for 84th, seven shots behind the early leader Tony Finau (who shot a 65 on the South Course).
Woods will most likely have to shoot under par on the North Course in the second round Friday to make the 36-hole cut.
Huge galleries lined the fairways and surrounded every tee and green as he made his way around the course. The scene was reminiscent of his 2008 U.S. Open triumph here, as was his opening tee shot on No. 1 — a pulled drive into the deep rough on the left side, on the way to a greenside bunker and a two-putt bogey. He won the 2008 Open, his most recent major title, despite making three double-bogeys on the opening hole
Though admittedly “a little bit rusty,” Woods was smiling after the first round Thursday and said he was encouraged by his performance at his first PGA Tour event since last year’s Farmers, where he missed the cut after the longest layoff of his career. A week later, he had to withdraw from a European Tour event in Dubai because of back spasms, leading to spinal fusion surgery in April and another season-ending layoff.
That was then. One year later, a slimmed-down Woods insisted it was “the best I’ve felt in years.” An operation that fused two vertebrae in his lower back — the fourth surgical procedure on his back since 2014 — has eliminated all of his pain, he says, enabling him to practice and play without limitations.
Woods, 42, says he also has a new mindset as he attempts to get his record-breaking career (79 PGA Tour wins, including 14 majors) back on track. Known for declaring his only goal is to win in every event he enters, he now concedes his expectations have been “tempered a little bit” because he hasn’t played a full schedule in several years.
Consequently, on the eve of the tournament, he said he didn’t know what to expect.
He was inconsistent in his return, showing flashes of brilliance as well as inexplicably poor ball-striking at times. He had three bogeys and three birdies, including one that followed his most spectacular shot of the day — a near-ace on the 188-yard, par-3 16th, where he faded a towering 6-iron shot toward the flagstick that stopped 8 inches from the cup.
“It was fun. It was fun to compete again,” Woods said afterward. “I’m always nervous. I care about what I do. And it was fun to feel that competitive rush again.”
After errant tee shots led to bogeys on No. 1 and No. 5, Woods settled in and began driving the ball as well as he ever did. He hit five of seven fairways on the front nine and finished 8 of 14 overall, including on a handful of drives in the 310- to 320-yard range. Overall, he averaged 299 yards off the tee.
He lamented his inconsistent approach shots after driving the ball in the short grass.
“I’ve got to hit my irons a little better than I did today. I didn’t hit them very close,” he said, adding, “It’s hard to give make a lot of birdies when you’re not giving yourself any looks.”
He hit only 12 of 18 greens in regulation, and it was his short game that saved him from several other bogeys. He got up and down for par from deep rough behind the second and eighth greens, and he saved par from a greenside bunker on No. 7.
His first birdie came on No. 6, a 560-yard par-5, where he hit a 308-yard tee shot into the middle of the fairway, reached the green with a 4 iron and put his 51-foot eagle putt an inch away from the cup. He also birdied No. 10, a 416-yard par-4, where he hit a sand wedge from 130 yards to tap-in range, and No. 16, where he almost celebrated a hole-in-one as the greenside gallery erupted.
“Wind got it,” he said, jokingly.
His forgettable shots included bunkering a wedge after a perfect 319-yard drive on No. 7, finding a greenside bunker after a 318-yard drive on No. 9 and missing the green from 97 yards on the way to a bogey on No. 13, where he lipped out a 4-foot par putt.
Woods said he was overwhelmed by the crowd support in Southern California; he was born and raised in nearby Orange County.
“I thought it was incredible,” he said. “They were into it; they were supportive. It was nice to come back to Southern California again. I miss it out here. I miss playing this golf course. It always feels good to come out here and play Torrey Pines.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.