Tiger Woods Impresses Playing Partner With Even Par First Round

The golf and sports world was keen on Tiger Woods’ first try at a full field with cut event since his 4th back surgery. And its taking place at Torrey Pines–a course where he’s enjoyed eight Tour wins and a major. But its also a long beast with tough rough and firm greens. It certainly isn’t the cream puff in the Bahamas.

I came away with these impressions after watching most of Woods’ round yesterday.

• He looks healthy. No grimacing even after crummy shots.
• His first drive was again exit-stage-left. For a man of his talents, I’m amazed his opening drives typically are so poor.
• He was pounding his driver (more on that below from Patrick Reed.)
• The irons were decent and he nearly jarred his tee shot on the par-3 16th. The ensuing Tiger roar was a welcome sound. But his distance control displayed some understandable rust.
• He was engaging and even friendly during the round. Plus Woods signed autographs for a longer period it seemed than in an entire year back in his prime.
• As mentioned, some rust was evident, but he made some nice chips and pitches from crappy lies.
• Playing under that intense scrutiny and pressure requires some amazing fortitude and concentration. Thus his even-par round was good on the tougher of two courses. Today on the easier North Course will be telling and he’ll probably have to break 70 to make the cut.

Okay, enough of me. Let’s see what playing partner Patrick Reed (4-under) thought about TW’s return via GolfChannel’s Ryan Lavner.

Upon hearing he was paired with Woods the first two rounds, Reed texted him “Hey, I expect you to wow me.”

So, did he?

“It seemed like he had control,” Reed said.

And there were glimpses of greatness, perhaps the biggest difference between this comeback and the myriad ones that preceded it.

Start with the drives that bounded past his playing partners.

“Some of the cuts that he hit today were insanely long,” Reed said. “You’re thinking a cut is not supposed to go that far, and he hit that flat cut out there 30 past your driver and you’re like, All right.”

On the par-3 16th that Tiger nearly aced…

“I thought I hit a pretty good 6-iron (to 14 feet) and he hit the same club and it came out a completely different window,” Reed said. “His was 30 feet higher than mine. It was monstrous up in the air. It came out like a pitching wedge. That thing was vertical. … Into the wind, you wouldn’t think that a ball could carry that far, and he was able to penetrate it through the wind at that height and be able to land it that soft, to a foot.

“For a guy that’s played one tournament in 365 days, for him to come out and play the way he did today,” Reed said, “I was impressed.”

Round two of The Comeback continues this morning at 11:30 EST.