Tiger Woods Downplays Back Tightness During Memorial Tournament: It Just Happens

Tiger Woods acknowledged that he suffered back tightness Thursday during the first round of the Memorial Tournament, where he shot an even-par 72, though he added he wasn't concerned. 

"It just happens," he said of his back, per Bob Harig of ESPN.com. "I wasn't quite feeling that well and just had to make a few adjustments and I was able to make them on the fly, which was nice."

He added that any extra golf on his schedule leading up to the Memorial didn't contribute to the discomfort.

"I have days like that," he said. "My back is fused. I'm going to have days where it's just tight. Unfortunately today was one of those days and that's all right. I don't have any pain, thank God. It's just tight. So, no biggie."

Woods struggled early, shooting four over through his first seven holes. But he steadied after that, shooting a 33 over the final nine holes.

"It's aging and it's surgeries," he said of his back tightness and struggles on Thursday. "It is what it is. Just got to make the adjustments. I'm able to make them now. Beginning of the year, I wasn't able to make them, because I didn't really know what to do yet."

Woods, 42, has had four back surgeries since 2014, causing him to miss all of 2016 and play in just one tournament in 2017. His return this season has been up and down, with top-10 finishes at the Valspar Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational and a promising 11th-place finish at The Players Championship.

But Woods also finished 32nd at the Masters and 55th at the Wells Fargo Championship, and his slow start on Thursday has him tied for 49th at the Memorial. Of course, nobody was expecting Woods to come back and light the golfing world on fire immediately. 

And his ability to make adjustments Thursday, and in general, is a good sign.

"I wasn't rotating very well today, back was tight, and just, it is what it is some days," he said. "And I made a few tweaks in my swing, my setup, and lo and behold, I was able to make some good swings on my back nine and turned the whole thing around."