Masters Standings 2012: Tiger Woods Still Favorite Despite Rough Start

Tiger Woods had an off day that saw his driving take a dive and his form break into shambles. The good news is that he is still very much the favorite to win the Masters at Augusta. 

I will refrain from comparing Woods to actual tiger, hiding in the weeds before he makes his kill. I wouldn't dare put you through such cliche misery. 

It's just so damn hard when you consider what went down on Day 1 at Augusta. Woods was bad when he wasn't busy being pedestrian. 

He shanked some drives and wasn't a maestro with the putter. In the end, his score told you everything you needed to know about his start at the Masters—he was even. 

Disasters were largely averted, and some shots left you but a moment from really standing in applause. He was just short of the new Tiger Woods that we saw at Bay Hill, the one that can incite riots with his shots. 

Woods knows that Day 1 sat on a precipice, teetering between brilliance and bust, via ESPN. 

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"Today I squeezed a lot out of that round. Didn't hit it very good at all. Warmed up bad, too, and it continued on the golf course. I just felt my way around today. I really grinded, stayed very present. And you know, I know how to play this golf course. I think it's just understanding what I need to do."

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Sounds awful, right?

Hardly. Just about everyone had a medium to difficult go of it. Just ask Henrik Stenson. The 36-year-old Swedish golfer had the lead all to himself heading into the final hole, and then he didn't. 

Stenson dropped an eight on the his final hole to slide back to one-under on the day. 

So for Woods, who knows this course nearly as well as his backyard, there is hope. In fact, there is more than hope. 

Lee Westwood owns the tourney at the moment, and he sits at five-under 67 at the moment. With so many golfers coming and going on the leaderboard, there is a very real possibility that Day 2 will be just as fluid. 

Consider Woods' awful day didn't cost him much. He was off on drives and still remains very much in contention. 

As the initial wave of adrenaline passes, Woods will show in Day 2 that he is very much the golfer to beat right now, despite his form.

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