Masters 2012: What Tiger Woods Must Improve On Following Subpar Opening Round

Thursday was a roller coaster ride of sorts for Tiger Woods at the 2012 edition of the Masters.

He finished the first round at Augusta National with a 72 for an even-par score, placing him tied for 30th, five strokes back of first-round leader Lee Westwood.  

Positives:

His putting game has come a long way in the last few months. It was by far the strongest part of his game on Thursday, and it landed him three birdies. There were multiple occasions where he saved par with 10-foot beauties.

This has to keep up throughout the weekend if he plans on making a charge up the leaderboard.

Negatives:

Tiger’s putter bailed him out after numerous tee shots that went awry. It’s a head-scratcher to see so many snap hooks, with the most glaring example coming on the 18th hole where his second shot was basically unplayable. If anything, he was lucky to escape with a bogey.

He’s going to be kicking himself with the way he botched the final two holes today.

What Must Improve:

While Woods didn’t finish strong, it’s not a huge deal. Woods has only shot below 70 once in his career in the opening round at Augusta.

What he needs to do first and foremost is eliminate the snap hooks on his drive. It's proof that he’s still tinkering with his swing and isn’t fully comfortable with the motion. He needs to make some serious adjustments Thursday night to work out the kinks.

When Tiger spoke to reporters after the match, he was rather blunt in assessing his performance (via CBS Sports):

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"I hit some of the worst golf shots I've ever hit today, I just hung in there, grinded my way around the course,” and “got a lot out of that round."

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As long as Woods keeps putting the ball well and is able to adjust his swing and eliminate the sloppy drives, he’ll be right in contention for a major championship that doesn’t look to have any players distancing themselves from the competition.

As ESPN Stats & Info points out, Woods typically gets better as the tournament rolls on. He averages a 72.1 on day one, followed by a 70.4, 69.8 and a 70.6 during the final round.

So it seems that the best is yet to come for Woods, but he has to stay mentally focused and not allow any stupid gaffes like the ones he had on the final three holes Thursday.

Aside from a stiff neck, his health does not appear to be an issue. The biggest question mark is what is inside his head.

If he can stay focused for the next 54 holes, there is no question Woods can win that elusive fifth green jacket. 

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