LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Tiger Woods showed signs of his five-month layoff Thursday, his one-under-par 71 putting him five strokes behind first-round leader Tony Finau at the Memorial Tournament.
Woods hadn’t teed it up on the US PGA Tour since a stiff back hindered him at the Genesis Open at Riviera in February.
He opted to sit out the first five events since the tour returned to action in the wake of a three-month shut down caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The 15-time major champion had four birdies in his one-under effort, rolling in a 14-foot birdie at the 18th at Muirfield Village to finish the day in red numbers.
Woods was very much in the mix, however, on a day when tough, windy conditions made Finau’s six-under effort, which included nine birdies, all the more impressive.
Finau strung together three straight birdies at the ninth, 10th and 11th, and closed with back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18 to pull one stroke clear of Ryan Palmer.
Palmer had an impressive five birdies without a bogey in his five-under 67.
It was a further stroke back to Brendan Steele and 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland.
Woodland was among the players who teed it up last week at Muirfield Village, which hosted the Workday Charity Open as part of the tour’s revamped schedule.
But he said course set up and the windy weather made for a different challenge.
World number two Jon Rahm, who has a chance to topple Rory McIlroy from the number one ranking this week, shared fifth on 69 with Lucas Glover and Charles Howell.
McIlroy, playing alongside Woods, fired a two-under 70 while Thomas and Dustin Johnson, who also went into the week with a chance to topple McIlroy from atop the rankings struggled.
After posting four rounds in the 60s last week, Thomas opened with a 74 while Johnson carded an eight-over 80 that included a triple-bogey and two double-bogeys.
