Tiger Woods Tees Off In Improbable Quest For Sixth Masters Title

Tiger Woods launched his improbable quest for a record-equalling sixth Masters title on Thursday, 14 months after a rollover car crash left him with injuries so severe he feared he would lose his right leg. The 46-year-old, who has fallen to 973rd in the world rankings, said this week he thought his game was good enough to win a 16th major championship. But he acknowledged his surgically repaired leg was an unknown quantity heading into his first top-flight competitive round in 17 months on the hilly, 7,510-yard Augusta National course. "You know, 72 holes is a long road, and it's going to be a tough challenge and a challenge that I'm up for," Woods said days before the tournament.

Woods cut a vibrant figure in a hot pink shirt and black trousers -- all the better for the thousands of Augusta patrons keen to get a glimpse of him to track their hero.

A 30-minute delay to the start because of pre-dawn thunderstorms only intensified the anticipation for Woods's appearance on the first tee.

He wasn't delighted with his opening drive, which came up short of the righthand fairway bunker. His approach trickled off the green.

As Woods opened his round, two players -- Irish veteran Padraig Harrington and amateur Austin Greaser, were one-under through nine holes.

Woods's quest for a 16th major title comes 25 years after he cemented his superstar status with a record-setting victory that made him the youngest Masters winner, nabbing the first of his current 15 major titles.

He teed off alongside former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa and Chilean Joaquin Niemann -- who wasn't born when Woods won his first Masters title in 1997.

Niemann is among a raft of young golfers whose careers were shaped by Woods's