As if nothing had happened.
As if Tiger Woods hadn't nearly lost a leg in a serious car accident in February 2021. 13 months after the crash, more than 17 months after his last tournament, the living golf legend had an excellent start Thursday at the Augusta Masters.
Woods (46) completed his first lap with a score of -1, four lengths behind the leader, South Korean Sung-jae Im.
World number 1 Scottie Scheffler and former winner (in 2020) Dustin Johnson are in ambush in third place (-3).
"I'm exactly where I wanted to be," summed up the "Tiger" after a first day in which he betrayed no sign of weakness, both physically and in his game, to place himself in tenth position. , shared with seven competitors.
"I'm freezing to death"
“I made two stupid mistakes at No. 8, after a slight loss of concentration.
But I fought to get back in the game, ”he added, before going to take an ice bath to prevent his leg from swelling too much after the effort.
"I'm freezing to death.
It's part of the process,” he explained.
“The idea is to keep pushing, while being able to recover well every night.
This is the hardest part.
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Apart from this bogey, Woods was very solid on his front nine.
But the best was yet to come, as he made his third birdie on the par three of No. 16, with a far from easy but perfectly dosed putt, and celebrated it with a clenched fist.
An example of resilience
While he feared the effects of the hilly terrain of the Georgian course on his bruised leg, the "Tiger" finished the climb of No. 18 with great strides without leaning on his club as he had sometimes done a few hectometres more early.
"I don't show up for a tournament if I don't think I can win it," warned the 973rd in the world on Tuesday, who has already returned from multiple injuries in the past.
Obviously, these weren't empty words.
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