Tiger Woods starts well at the Masters on his return to golf 14 months on from life-threatening car crash

Tiger Woods said he was “lucky to be alive” after being involved in a horrific car crash and lying in his hospital bed, thoughts of returning to a golf course, let alone at the Masters, seemed a million miles away. Yet, who would ever write off the man who has been the sport’s biggest superstar for so long? 14 months after that near-fatal accident, Woods strode boldly towards the first tee at Augusta, donning a bright fuchsia polo shirt and taking in the adoration of a crowd of thousands who gathered to see his return. Ad/> After a couple of gentle practice swings of his driver, Woods struck the ball from the tee to announce his quite sensational comeback to the sport.

Although he would be the first to admit, given the circumstances, he was just happy to be back, that competitive spirit never leaves a champion and the grimace on his face from the first shot was clear to see. He had pushed it slightly right, and was not best pleased, but he avoided the bunker and was off and running. Masters'The Guv'nor is here, pipe down' – Rocket Ronnie on why Tiger inspires him3 HOURS AGO Along with his group of Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann, Woods made his way down to the green where, as we’ve seen time and time over the years, he had beady eyes watching his every move.

He approached his ball, ten feet from the hole, and putted beautifully for par on the first. He proceeded to make par on the subsequent three holes, and Woods looked comfortable to be back amongst the action, if only with a slight limp when walking. The five-time Masters winner approached the fifth knowing he had not sunk a birdie on that hole since 2005.