“Sure. That’s the only reason I tee up.”
‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (48, USA), 바카라 who returned to the American Men’s Professional Golf (PGA) tour after 7 months, answered the question about his desire to win. His body is not the same as before, but his desire to win remains the same.
Woods tied 5 birdies and 3 bogeys in the first round of the Genesis Invitational (total prize money of 20 million dollars) held at the Riviera Country Club (par 71, 7287 yards) in Pacific Palisades near Los Angeles, California on the 17th (Korean time), USA. He shot an under par 69.
tied for 27th. It is hard to believe that the result was achieved in the tournament after seven months with still uncomfortable legs. It’s possible because it’s Tiger Woods. It is also the reason why the cloud crowd followed him throughout the first round.
Woods is in his first tournament of the season. After the Open Championship in July of last year, he disappeared from the PGA Tour with his disappointing performance, and rumors of retirement arose, but Woods proudly reported his return and did not hide his greed for victory.
Woods, who has tied the record for the most wins in history with Sam Snead (USA) with 82 wins on the PGA Tour, but only negative prospects followed in the face of great trials. In 2021, his leg was seriously injured in a car rollover accident, and he returned after a long operation and rehabilitation, but the results were not satisfactory. As a result, he only competed in three major events last year (Masters, PGA Championship, and The Open).
Ahead of this tournament, he said, “My legs are better than last year. It’s hard every day, but I’m getting stronger and better.” showed high confidence.
On the first day of the day, Woods, who played a round with Rory McIlroy (34, Northern Ireland) and Justin Thomas (30, USA), raised expectations by catching a birdie from the first hole (par 5). Numerous galleries took out cell phones to take pictures of his tee shot. He successfully recovered the ball heading into the rough and caught a birdie by putting a third shot around the hole cup in his approach. A warm cheer erupted from the galleries.
Bogey on hole 4 (par 3) and birdie again on hole 8 (par 4) and finished the first half with 1 under par. . He committed another bogey on hole 12 (par 4), and even the tee shot on the next hole was disappointing.
But Woods revived his concentration. He made a birdie by hitting a tee shot 1.5m away from the hole cup on hole 16 (par 3), and caught a 7m birdie putt on hole 17 (par 5). In the last 18th hole (par 4), he showed off his rust-free iron shot feeling by sticking his second shot 2m away from the hole cup, exciting the galleries.
According to Yahoo Sports of the United States, after the match, Woods said, “Now (my ankle) is in a bit of pain. I couldn’t finish the round properly last year either.” I made a birdie,” he said.
Regarding his impression of playing rounds with great competitors, he said, “It was a great round. We encouraged each other and exchanged stories.” Regarding the situation on the 18th hole, he said, “Thomas made a birdie and McIlroy beat us all day. I didn’t want to be a stupid host who missed a birdie on the 18th hole in front of everyone behind me.”
Even before returning after 7 months, Woods’ goal is to win. “Woods Kids” Max Homa (33) and Keith Mitchell (31, USA) tied for the lead with a 7 under par 64 strokes. 5 strokes behind Woods. The remaining three rounds Woods goes in pursuit.