Tiger Woods After 1st Round of 2019 Masters: 'Thought I Played Well Today'

Tiger Woods was encouraged after he shot a two-under 70 to open the 2019 Masters on Thursday.

"I thought I played well today," he said in an interview with ESPN (h/t CBS Sports' Kyle Porter). "I thought I hit a lot of good shots. If I missed it, I missed in the correct spots, which is always key. I had some simpler up and downs because of that." 

Historically speaking, Woods' optimism isn't misplaced.

The 14-time major winner wasn't at his best to begin the Masters. He reached 11 greens in regulation and hit nine of the 14 fairways. He also averaged 294 yards per drive, narrowly below the tournament average of 297.

Woods had his moments. His drive on No. 14 sailed well left of the fairway and into the gallery. Somehow he dropped his approach onto the green, where it settled 25 feet from the cup. He then sank his birdie putt and moved to three under.

Although a bogey on No. 17 dropped him back to two under, Woods laid a solid foundation for the rest of the tournament. His performance is even better considering he hadn't competed in nearly a month. He tied for 30th at the Players Championship, which wrapped up March 17.

To the delight of both golf fans and television networks, Woods looks like a threat to capture this year's green jacket.