Tiger Woods Praises 'Electric' Crowd in Return from Leg Injury at Masters

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

After shooting one under in the first round of the Masters on Thursday, Tiger Woods praised the crowd at Augusta National for its energy and enthusiasm.

"That's something I'm very lucky to have this opportunity to be able to play, and not only that, to play in the Masters and to have this type of reception," Woods said after the round, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "I mean, the place was electric."

It was Woods' first time back on the green since his car accident two years ago that caused severe damage to his leg. The 46-year-old recorded three birdies and two bogeys on the day.

Woods attributed his solid play to the experience of being back in front of a full crowd for the first time in a while.

"I hadn't played like this since '19, when I won, because in '20 we had COVID and we had no one here, and I didn't play last year [when attendance was limited]," he said. "So to have the patrons fully out and to have that type of energy out there was awesome to feel."

Woods is among the nine players tied for 10th after the first round. He trails leader Sungjae Im (-5) by four strokes.

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