AUGUSTA, Georgia: Tiger Woods received a friendly reception in a Monday morning practice round at the Masters, his first public golf appearance since the sex scandal that overtook him last November.
“Welcome back Tiger” and “We missed you” were among the encouraging shouts received by world number one Woods, who joined Fred Couples on the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club at 8am, when the course was opened to spectators.
Woods and Couples played the front nine in about two hours, stopping often to play multiple shots and taking extra practice on the course's famed undulating greens before heading onto the back nine to yells of support.
“Go get ‘em Tiger” and “All right Tiger” greeted Woods when he strolled near the gallery, although applause was often tepid because his shotmaking was weak compared to the electricity of other years, a sign of rust from his layoff.
Woods has confessed to multiple affairs, with more than a dozen women claiming sexual relationships, shattering his marketing golden-boy image and leading to a five-month break from golf to repair his personal life.
While not getting a totally embracing welcome after his five-month layoff, Woods joked with spectators at times and eased into his return after admitting in television interviews last month that he was nervous about the reception. “It would be nice to hear a couple of claps here and there,” Woods said.
That's about what he received at Augusta National, where decorum is the tradition and numbered badges that could be revoked by tournament officials were expected to contain disruptive behaviour by potential Woods hecklers.
Magnolia Lane, Augusta National's famed entry path, could be the road to redemption for Woods, with pal Mark O'Meara predicting a solid showing this week for Woods after a nine-hole practice round with him on Sunday. “No one is perfect. We thought he was, but no one is perfect,” O'Meara said.
Paying spectators did not have far to go or long to wait to see the main attraction on the most dramatic opening practice day ever staged at Augusta. Solitary applause greeted Woods at times along the course, the gallery building with every hole as more than 40,000 people were expected to attend.
Woods was greeted with mild applause at the first tee after some sunrise work on the practice area and dozens of spectators took pictures of Woods as he strode off the first tee to a mostly hushed crowd after smashing the ball into the fairway.
Woods swatted his second shot onto the green to another smattering of claps, polite but not especially welcoming. The casual atmosphere of the round lent itself to Woods responding to supporters. He spent several minutes on the first green practicing putts not only at the cup but at the expected positions where the pin will be placed at the weekend when the title will be decided.
Augusta National's famous undulating greens figure to be the sternest test for a man who has not played competitively since winning the Australian Masters in mid-November. Woods turned and smiled at encouraging shouts walking along the second fairway, appearing at ease as he walked along the famed course where he has won four of his 14 major titles, a total four shy of Jack Nicklaus' record.
While there were no early hecklers bold enough to be disruptive, several people were quietly cracking jokes at Woods' expense, including, “Is that a cell phone in his pocket or is he just happy to be out here?”
By the seventh hole, Woods was calm enough to laugh with greenside spectators even after two poor approaches and a weak chip. Woods has an afternoon news conference scheduled, at which he will face questions from global reporters for the first time since the sex scandal erupted five months ago.
