Tiger Woods opens Masters in 2-over 74

The old adage goes along the lines of, 'You can't win the tournament on Thursday, but you can lose it.'

Early in his opening round at the 87th Masters Tournament, Tiger Woods appeared on the verge of losing it. But the five-time Masters winner hung tough on the back nine en route to a 2-over 74, preserving realistic chances of sticking around for the weekend and taking aim at a record-tying sixth green jacket this weekend at Augusta National.

Woods struggled to find a rhythm on the greens early Thursday, falling to 3 over through seven holes. His first birdie, at the par-5 eighth, also marked his first one-putt of the day. After another bogey at 11, Woods fought back with birdies at Nos. 15 and 16, before an awkward stance with one leg in a fairway bunker led to a bogey on the closing hole.

"I didn't have very good speed early ... I didn't hit my irons close enough today," Woods said. "I didn't give myself very good looks. Need to do a better job of that going forward to hopefully get myself back in this tournament.

"Most of the guys are going low today. This was the day to do it. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be a little bit better, a little bit sharper, and kind of inch my way through it ... This is going to be an interesting finish to the tournament with the weather coming in. If I can just kind of hang in there, maybe kind of inch my way back, hopefully it will be positive towards the end."

For the day, Woods hit 10 of 14 fairways along with 13 of 18 greens in regulation. He finished the round nine strokes off the pace of his playing partner Viktor Hovland, who carded 7-under 65.

Last year, Woods made the cut at the Masters in his competitive return from severe injuries to both legs suffered in a 2021 single-car accident. He finished solo 47th that week. After appearances at last year's PGA Championship (made cut, WD after 54 holes) and The Open Championship (MC), he finished T45 at The Genesis Invitational in February.

He entered this week aiming to build on that performance, albeit realistic about his stamina up and down Augusta’s hills amidst the loblolly pines.

“I can hit a lot of shots,” Woods said Tuesday, “but the difficulty for me is going to be the walking going forward."

After his round Thursday, Woods described the pain as "constant" and his right leg as "sore." He battled through it, though, and intends to continue to do so.

Read below for hole-by-hole updates from Woods' opening-round 74 to begin his 25th Masters appearance.

Hole 18 (par 4, 465 yards)

Woods pulls driver off the tee and flushes it, perhaps too well, as the ball rolls out toward a fairway bunker and settles just short, leaving a footwork-related challenge for his approach.

The 47-year-old is forced to play his approach with one foot in the bunker, and he plays a low punch-draw of sorts that skips into the right greenside bunker. He hops upon impact, seemingly having felt a unique sensation.

Woods is short-sided for his third and he plays it safely to the center of the green, leaving a lengthy par attempt of some 15 feet. He gives it a hearty rap but it misses on the left side, still some work to be done for bogey. He cleans up the 3-footer to post a round of 2-over 74. Perhaps not ideal for the five-time Masters champ, but the cut line is very much within striking distance.

2-over thru 18 | 10/14 fairways hit | 13/18 greens in regulation

Hole 17 (par 4, 440 yards)

Woods is feeling it now. He confidently stripes a drive down the center, much to the crowd's delight on Augusta National's penultimate hole.

With a short-iron approach, Woods plays a smart shot to the center of the green and the proper tier, leaving a mid-range birdie try to the front-left hole location. He deftly two-putts from some 25 feet to keep the good vibes rolling. He'll have the chance to return to level par with a closing birdie, a feat that seemed unlikely just a few holes ago.

1-over thru 17 | 9/13 fairways hit | 13/17 greens in regulation

Hole 16 (par 3, 170 yards)

Woods has authored countless memories on this serene par 3, and he delivers another with a crisp iron to the left side of the green, the ball landing soft and settling some 10 feet from the hole. A tantalizing birdie opportunity as he aims to build momentum toward the final stages of the opening round.

Sure enough, Woods drains the putt. Back-to-back birdies. The crowd roars in appreciation, and the 82-time TOUR winner offers a wave.

1-over thru 16 | 8/12 fairways hit | 12/16 greens in regulation

Hole 15 (par 5, 550 yards)

Woods selects driver off the tee and motions his head, asking for it to move a bit. It lands in the center of the fairway and drifts toward the left side.

Woods opts not to attack the green on his second shot; he plays a low punch that runs up the fairway to leave a flip-wedge into the devilish green on Augusta National's final par 5. He is quickly dismayed on his third shot, though, as the ball lands long and left to leave a 25-foot curling birdie putt.

From there, though, Woods arrives at the green and channels the ethos that has led to five green jackets. He drains the putt. The crowd roars. Ever the showman.

2-over thru 15 | 8/12 fairways hit | 11/15 greens in regulation

Hole 14 (par 4, 440 yards)

Woods pulls driver and drops a hand off the club immediately, as the ball sails left of the fairway, finding the tree line.

Facing abundant tree trouble for his approach, Woods plays to the left of the green; the ball gets a convenient hop off a tree and bounds toward the front of the green, leaving a 20-yard uphill pitch. Woods plays it to perfection, the ball starting left of the flag and curling back to within 3 feet. He drains the putt, a scrambling par of sorts, particularly considering his less-than-ideal position off the tee.

3-over thru 14 | 7/11 fairways hit | 10/14 greens in regulation

Hole 13 (par 5, 545 yards)

On the final leg of Amen Corner, the hole that has dominated pre-tournament chatter after being lengthened 35 yards for this year's Masters, Woods misses the fairway just to the right, the ball settling in light rough just a few whiskers from the pine straw.

Woods utilizes a disciplined play on his second shot, opting not to flirt with the creek guarding the green; he lays up safely back to leave a flip-wedge for his third shot. He plays it safely to the back of the green, leaving 20 or so feet for birdie; his facial expression indicates that perhaps more spin was to be desired. He two-putts for par.

3-over thru 13 | 7/10 fairways hit | 10/13 greens in regulation

Hole 12 (par 3, 155 yards)

On one of golf's more storied par-3 holes, Woods meets the moment with a crisp short iron that lands on the back of the green and spins to leave a mid-length birdie putt. His birdie try flirts with the hole but just misses on the right side. It rolls out to just a couple feet, and he has no trouble cleaning up his par.

3-over thru 12 | 7/9 fairways hit | 9/12 greens in regulation

Hole 11 (par 4, 520 yards)

Woods begins the fabled Amen Corner with a smooth swing and tee shot down the middle, but he plays well away from the water on his mid-iron approach, the ball kicking off the right fringe and bounding into the fairway, some 30 yards from the flagstick.

Finding himself short-sided for his pitch, Woods cuts it too close, as the lofted shot lands just short of the bunker lip, in the sand. Agonizing. He plays a crafty, slippery bunker blast to 8 feet and drains the bogey putt to limit the damage.

3-over thru 11 | 7/9 fairways hit | 8/11 greens in regulation

Hole 10 (par 4, 495 yards)

Woods makes the turn and pulls a fairway metal at the sweeping-dogleg, downhill par 4. He turns the ball over accordingly, the ball finding light rough just to the left of the fairway. His angle to the green is blocked by a tree for his approach, but no trouble, as Woods produces a sweeping draw that lands just short of the hole; it kicks to the left but leaves a manageable birdie putt of some 15 feet. On this hole, that's always appreciated.

Woods gives his uphill birdie putt a hearty rap, but it runs just out of pace and dies short-right of the hole. He taps in for a solid par to begin Thursday's second nine.

2-over thru 10 | 6/8 fairways hit | 8/10 greens in regulation

Hole 9 (par 4, 460 yards)

Woods splits the fairway off the tee comfortably. But from an uneven lie, he has difficulty maintaining balance on his short-iron approach and comes out of it immediately; the ball misses to the right of the green, requiring some crafty short-game play to salvage par and maintain the monentum garnered from the previous hole.

The veteran does just that, utilizing his local knowledge accrued for the years, playing his pitch off the back fringe and letting it funnel back to within 5 feet. He drains the par, accompanied by a knowing nod of appreciation. Pace is kept.

2-over thru 9 | 6/7 fairways hit | 7/9 greens in regulation

Hole 8 (par 5, 570 yards)

Needing to right the ship quickly, at risk of the tournament getting away from him, Woods delivers.

The 15-time major champion flushes his tee shot down the middle, with a slight recoil and quick tee pick-up. He gives the green a go with his second shot; it doesn't quite reach, but leaves an uphill 40-yard pitch with plenty of green to work with.

Woods judges his third shot perfectly, as the ball tracks toward the hole the entire way, nearly falling for eagle before just settling a few inches left of the cup. He taps in for his first birdie of the tournament. Something to build on, indeed.

2-over thru 8 | 5/6 fairways hit | 7/8 greens in regulation

Hole 7 (par 4, 450 yards)

Woods pulls driver and plays a soft cut, the ball starting at the left tree line but fading back into the left side of the fairway. He sizes up his short iron and plays a lofted shot that lands some 10 feet right of the flagstick but catches a slope and drifts further right, leaving a mid-range birdie try.

From 25 feet or so, Woods plays aggressively on his birdie try; the ball just burns the edge on the right side and rolls 5 feet past. He cannot get the par putt to fall; for the second time in three holes, it's a cruel lip-out. The bogey marks his third in five holes, and he's still without a one-putt on the day. A recipe for frustration amidst the loblolly pines.

3-over thru 7 | 4/5 fairways hit | 6/7 greens in regulation

Hole 6 (par 3, 180 yards)

Woods plays a mid-iron on the scenic, downhill par 3 and stares the flag down; the ball lands just right of the hole and releases to the back of the green, leaving 15 feet or so for birdie.

Needing to get something going at this juncture in the round, though, Woods can't get the ball to the hole. It settles a foot short, and he taps in for a quasi-disappointing par, considering the aggressive and well-executed tee shot.

2-over thru 6 | 3/4 fairways hit | 5/6 greens in regulation

Hole 5 (par 4, 495 yards)

Woods selects driver on one of Augusta National's most traditionally difficult par 4s, and it's a quick tee pick-up, as the ball splits the middle of the fairway.

His mid-iron approach is met with a hint of skepticism, as the ball drifts to the right and settles on the front tier, leaving a lengthy, multi-tier birdie try.

Woods' first putt makes its way up the slope, but it pulls up some 6 feet short of the cup. His par try catches the cup but lips out. Bogey. Just like that, it's two bogeys in three holes for the 82-time TOUR winner.

2-over thru 5 | 3/4 fairways hit | 4/5 greens in regulation

Hole 4 (par 3, 177 yards)

Woods selects 8-iron and produces a crisp ball flight, the ball landing slightly left of the hole and releasing to leave a 30-foot birdie try from the back of the green.

The five-time Masters winner displays deft touch on his birdie try; the speed is well-judged and the ball misses just to the right. Routine tap-in par. No harm, no foul.

1-over thru 4 | 2/3 fairways hit | 3/4 greens in regulation

Hole 3 (par 4, 350 yards)

Woods takes driver, an aggressive play on the short par 4, and he doesn't hesitate as the ball pierces the left-center of the fairway, leaving a flip wedge in.

From there, though, Woods finds trouble. He plays a high second shot, immediately anxious as to the result; the ball lands on the front edge and spins back down the hill. He plays a skipper for his third that releases past the hole, leaving 10 feet for par.

His par putt is left all the way, not even burning the edge. He sighs with dismay and taps in for bogey. First dropped shot of his 25th Masters.

1-over thru 3 | 2/3 fairways hit | 2/3 greens in regulation

Hole 2 (par 5, 575 yards)

Woods selects driver and plays a slight fade, the ball drifting into a right fairway bunker. He lays up comfortably to the center of the fairway, then pushes a wedge slightly that catches the right side of the green, leaving a cross-country birdie putt of sorts.

As he often does, Woods displays deft touch on his birdie try, the ball tracking toward the hole and just missing to run out 2 feet by. He drains the par to putt to stay at level ground.

Even-par thru 2 | 1/2 fairways hit | 2/2 greens in regulation

Hole 1 (par 4, 445 yards)

Woods takes driver and confidently splits the right-center of the fairway, as the legions of fans surrounding the tee box roar in appreciation. Woods is wearing a white shirt and navy-blue pants for the occasion of his 25th Masters start.

With a short iron, Woods plays a safe shot to the right-center of the green, below the hole. His birdie putt from 40 feet doesn't reach the hole, but he drains a 4-footer for a routine opening par.

Even-par thru 1 | 1/1 fairways hit | 1/1 greens in regulation