The 2022 PGA Championship got underway on Thursday, and many golf fans were extremely excited to see exactly what Tiger Woods could do in his second tournament back after the devastating car crash which resulted in him missing over a year of action.
Woods started on hole 10 and got off to a quick start with a birdie after an excellent approach shot that got the fans very excited at Southern Hills Country Club.
The fans love it. @TigerWoods birdies his first hole of the day. pic.twitter.com/eDkD8SYTkB
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 19, 2022
He then followed that up on hole 14, which put him to two under par and seemingly in contention at the top of the leaderboard.
Tiger rolls it in to get to -2 pic.twitter.com/rsrSu88QD1
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 19, 2022
Things quickly began to fall apart for Tiger however as he went on to bogey holes 15 and 16 as well as holes 1 and 2 to fall back to two over par. He bounced back with a birdie on hole 3, and it looked like he was going to go on to pull things back to around even par with only a few holes left in his opening round.
That did not go to plan for Woods, as he finished his round with back-to-back bogeys on holes 8 and 9, finishing four over par for the round.
Tiger Woods finishes his round +4 and T81. pic.twitter.com/ERvUd8Qkm9
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 19, 2022
His round was also filled with controversy as there was a moment when Tiger admonished a cameraperson who got a little too close for his liking.
Tiger asking the cameraman to back off. Three times pic.twitter.com/fNYIXN7KbM
— Brandon Contes (@BrandonContes) May 19, 2022
Woods was also seen limping after an awkward swing that seemed to tweak his surgically replaced leg.
Tiger Woods looks to be in pain at the PGA Championship
He finished his round +4
(via @espn) https://t.co/UYsxQDT1q6
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) May 19, 2022
This injury was fairly noticeable on camera and got the attention of the golf world right away.
https://twitter.com/curtis35riley/status/1527356523084582912
Tiger Woods, in noticeable discomfort, comes home in 39 for a 4-over 74 on Day 1 of the #PGAChampionship
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) May 19, 2022
Tiger Woods appears to be in pain after tee shot on par-3 eighth. pic.twitter.com/vIb8hC5KFE
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) May 19, 2022
“He’s wincing,” said ESPN’s Billy Kratzert on course with Tiger Woods. “He definitely did something to that right leg.”
— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) May 19, 2022
Woods was very honest about how he was feeling following the round.
“My leg is not feeling as good as I would like it to be,” said Woods. “We’ll start the recovery process and get after it tomorrow.”
Tiger Woods (4-over 74): "My leg is not feeling as good as I would like it to be. We’ll start the recovery process and get after it tomorrow."#PGAChampionship
— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) May 19, 2022
At this point in Tiger’s career, given the circumstances of his car crash, it’s must-watch television anytime he tees it up. Hopefully for golf fans around the world, Tiger can rehab his leg following his round and play a good round on Friday to stick around for the weekend.
[PGA Tour]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.