AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods had little time to ruminate on the disappointing completion of his opening round 73 in the 88th Masters Friday morning, facing a turnaround of 49 minutes before embarking on round 2 at 10:18 a.m. EDT.
Unforced errors from the middle of the fairway at the 14th and 18th holes prevented the five-time Masters champion from breaking par at Augusta National Golf Club for the first time since he opened with a 71 in 2022. Woods, 48, was among 27 players who returned at 7:50 a.m. to complete the first round after it was delayed at the start Thursday by 2½ hours due to a heavy early morning thunderstorm. He was one under par when play was suspended by darkness at 7:51 p.m.
Walking with a slight limp on the right ankle he had surgically fused after withdrawing from last year’s Masters, Woods belted his opening drive of the day 314 yards right down the middle at 14, but a slapdash wedge left him short of the green. He pitched poorly and two-putted from 22 feet.
Routine pars at the next three holes preceded another miscue from the middle of the fairway at the par-four 18th as Woods flared his approach into the right greenside bunker from 171 yards. He failed to get up and down, missing a 12-footer for par.
His one-over 73 left him T-35 as Woods attempts to make the cut for the 24th consecutive time, which would be a record. The top 50 and ties advance to the weekend.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
