Tiger Woods shoots one under as Im Sung-jae leads on day one

Tiger Woods shot a one-under-par 71 on his Masters comeback as the five-time champion made a stunning return to competitive golf in what he described as an “electric” atmosphere at Augusta.

Woods, 46, suffered life-threatening injuries in a car crash 14 months ago, then feared his leg might be amputated.

The 15-time major champion confirmed on Tuesday he planned to play and looked sharp in Thursday’s opening round.

South Korea’s?Im Sung-jae,?runner-up in 2020, leads after a five-under 67.

“There is a long way to go, it is a marathon but it is nice to get off to a positive start,” Woods said after playing his first competitive round in 508 days.

Asked if being able to play felt like a victory after the severity of his injuries, Woods replied: “Yes.

“To see where I’ve been, to get from there to here, it was no easy task.

“I’m very lucky to have this opportunity to be able to play, and not only that, to play in the Masters and to have this type of reception.

“I mean, the place was electric.”

The opening day was delayed by half an hour because of overnight thunderstorms, with testing windy conditions in the morning making way for a calmer afternoon in the sunshine.

One of the later starters, 24-year-old Im, began with three birdies and added another on the seventh to hit 32 on the front nine.

Successive bogeys on 10 and 11 pegged him back before an eagle on 13 and a birdie on 15 put him one shot ahead of Australia’s?Cameron Smith.

Smith, going for a rare prestigious double after winning the Players Championship at Sawgrass last month, was the early clubhouse leader after a four-under 68.

England’s?Danny Willett,?who earned a shock win at the Masters in 2016, American world number one?Scottie Scheffler, 2020 champion?Dustin Johnson?and Chile’s?Joaquin Niemann?are one shot behind Smith after 69s.

Northern Ireland’s?Rory McIlroy began his latest bid for a clean sweep of the four men’s majors – the 32-year-old’s eighth attempt to complete the career Grand Slam – with a 73. (Courtesy BBC)