After finishing 2 over par through the first two rounds of the Hero World Challenge, Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 71 in a bounce-back performance Saturday in the third round at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

Woods started the day with bogeys at Nos. 1 and 2, improving as time progressed with birdies at Nos. 3, 6, 8 and 9. He posted two bogeys and one birdie on the back nine, finishing with pars at Nos. 16 and 17 and missing a short par putt on No. 18.

Advertisement

Woods returned to golf in the first round of the Hero World Challenge on Thursday for the first time since withdrawing from the Masters in April. In the first round, Woods hit the ball well and looked far more comfortable walking than he has in the other returns since his 2021 car crash. He shot a 3-over 75 and finished with four birdies, eight pars, five bogeys and a double.

Woods has come a long way since the 2021 crash left him with serious leg injuries and trouble walking. Last February, Woods said he could walk on a treadmill but had “a long way to go” to be able to navigate a golf course.

Nearly a year later, Woods pulled out of the 2023 Masters, citing plantar fasciitis. It was the second time in 12 months Woods withdrew from a major after pulling out of the 2022 PGA Championship after three rounds. On April 19, Woods underwent a “subtalar fusion” procedure in his ankle to address his post-traumatic arthritis from a previous fracture.

Woods improved throughout the day

The biggest focus today for Woods was finishing the back nine strong. He fell off around the 15th hole the first two days, but Saturday represented the opposite: Woods started poorly and then got hot. He bounced back from two ugly bogeys to start by birdieing four of the next seven. He’s been driving the ball fantastically all week, his well-built upper body able to drive it further than much of the field 20 years his junior, but it was promising to see his approach play improve Saturday. He was dominant on the par 5s, hitting approaches on the green in two on No. 3 and No. 6 and birdie all the first three par 5s. To then (finally) par No. 15. It was his best day yet. — Brody Miller, golf staff writer

Woods continues to move well

The biggest issue Thursday, Woods said, was mentally committing. He was thinking about shots instead of committing to the plan. Plus, many of the areas that improve with constant reps and practice like his short game were understandably quite poor. So Woods birdieing No. 9 with a tough bunker shot or hitting challenging putts all day long shows he is getting his feel back with each hole.

Advertisement

The other storyline was how his body would hold up playing 72 holes for the first time since his surgery, and he’s still moving far better than he has at any point in 2022 or 2023. His back and leg remain in pain, but his ankle looks so much better. — Miller

Required reading

(Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)