Tiger in hunt at Masters after first-round 70

1:03 pm | April 11, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:

4:56 PM ET

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods grabbed an early share of the first-round lead Thursday at the Masters before a late bogey dropped him to 2-under-par 70 and a rare opening round under par at Augusta National.

Making his 22nd Masters start, Woods — a four-time winner of the event — started slowly before picking up birdies at the 13th and 14th holes to tie for the lead.

The birdie at the par-4 14th was somewhat miraculous, as he hooked a drive into the trees, hoisted a second shot over those trees and onto the green, then got a 25-foot curling putt to drop.

That got him to 3 under par, the lowest he has been through 14 holes in the first round of the Masters in his career.

The 14-time major champion has shot in the 60s on the opening day of the Masters just once, in 2010.

Woods started nicely with a big drive at the first hole and a birdie at the second. He bogeyed the fifth when he missed a 5-footer and failed to convert a 4-foot birdie putt at the sixth. He also missed from 9 feet for birdie at the eighth, but finished off a front-side 35 with a 5-footer for birdie at the ninth.

Solid pars at the 10th, 11th and 12th holes preceded a two-putt birdie at the 13th from 50 feet.

At the par-5 15th, Woods had just 230 yards to the green for his second shot, but it hit over the green and had to scramble to save par. He added pars at the 16th before tree trouble led to a bogey at the 17th.

When he walked off the 18th green, Woods was 1 shot off the lead.

Woods, 43, is playing in his sixth tournament of 2019. Last year he finished in a tie for 32nd at the Masters.