Tiger Woods cards 1-under 71 in opening round of Masters at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — In his first competitive round of golf in 509 days, five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 71 in the first round Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club.

Woods was three shots behind clubhouse leader Cameron Smith after finishing his round.

It was Woods' first round in a tournament after he was seriously injured in a car accident outside Los Angeles on Feb. 23, 2021. He hadn't played in a regular PGA Tour event since November 2020, when he tied for 38th at the Masters, which was played later that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Woods, 46, got to 1 under with a 29-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th hole. Just as the ball dropped in the hole, he raised his right fist to the crowd.

It was an up-and-down round for Woods, who is playing competitively for the first time with a rod in the tibia of his right leg and screws and plates in his right ankle and foot. He told reporters in December that surgeons nearly had to amputate his leg because it was so severely injured.

After a 17-month layoff away from competitive golf, Woods' putting and iron play were good, while his tee shots seemed to lack some power and distance. The worst part of his game on Thursday was undoubtedly his chipping and pitching. Woods needed just 13 putts through the first nine holes. He made a birdie on the par-3 sixth hole and a bogey on the par-5 eighth. He made the turn at even-par 36.

At one point during the round, Woods missed five straight greens. But he was able to get up and down on four of those holes, with the bogey on the eighth being the exception. He made a 10-foot putt to save par on the first hole and an 8-footer to save par on the ninth.

Woods moved to 1 under with a birdie on the par-5 13th. His second