Tiger Woods gave himself a high grade after taming strong and gusty winds to trail first-round leader Corey Conners of Canada by three strokes at the Valspar Championship in Florida on Thursday.
Showing glimpses of the verve and creativity that brought him 14 major championships before a serious back injury, Woods carded a one-under-par 70 to end the day equal eighth at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
It was not such smooth sailing for some of the other big names, with Rory McIlroy battling to a 74 in his first round at the Copperhead course, while Jordan Spieth had five bogeys in a seven-hole stretch en route to a 76.
Woods, on the other hand, could hardly contain his smile, oozing satisfaction as he reflected on his performance.
“I’m pleased with every aspect of my game,” Woods told reporters. “I drove it well, hit a lot of good iron shots and had some good speed on the putts. Overall I thought I really did well today.”
“I don’t know if people understand how hard it was out there. Into the wind it felt we hit walls out there. The whole group got fooled a lot today,” he added.
A huge gallery, bundled up on a chilly Florida afternoon, was treated to a vintage Tiger recovery shot at the par-four 16th.
After his drive bounced on a cart path and clattered deep into the trees, coming to rest on leaves and pine straw, Woods was concerned his club would snap against a nearby pine on his follow-through.
He warned spectators to stand back, and sure enough he subsequently wrapped his iron around the trunk, the club bending but not breaking, before flying out of his hand as his left arm also hit the tree.
The club landed harmlessly about five yards away, and the ball flew up close the green, allowing for a fine par save.
Taiwan’s Pan Cheng-tsung carded a two-over 73 to finish the round tied for 68th.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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