Woods' play says it all

Tiger Woods played golf Thursday, and the PGA Tour went from mere rumor to monster headline again.

One can only hope in the process that Billy Payne's grandchildren survived a day at the Masters knowing Woods yelled in anger at his golf ball.

Yes, Woods returned from his 144-day absence while the morals police debated his abstinence.

Payne, the Masters Chairman and president of the "Tiger Injured My Grandkids Clan,'' had to be frightened when Woods hollered for the first time on the par-4 fifth hole during his approach.

"Go! Go hard!'' Woods implored his ball. "Get there!''

It was one of a few times Thursday that Woods shouted, and we can only hope everyone escaped unscathed despite these allegedly horrifying outbursts.

And while we certainly admire Payne and all the members of his club who believe Tiger owes the world something, we are also grateful to walk the same Earth with those who live such perfect lives that they have time left over to help others live theirs.

Of course, there are some among us who think that if you allow your children - or grandchildren - to hold up celebrities as role models, you'll likely get just what you deserve.

What people who live in the real world really deserve from Woods is only great golf, and he absolutely delivered that at Augusta while playing competitively for the first time in five months.

Considering all he was facing, physically, mentally and emotionally, all Tiger did with the hatred he's heard and read was use it as motivation to shoot a career-best opening round (68) and opening nine (33) at the Masters, while making 2 eagles in the same round for the first time at Augusta.

He's 2 shots behind the leader, 50-year-old Fred Couples, and 1 back of 60-year-old Tom Watson, after playing the par-5s in 5-under, hitting 14 of 18 greens, and 9 of 14 fairways.

He piled up 3 bogeys and still could have been 4 shots better if he had drained a few very makeable birdie putts.

All in all, it was a fairly normal Tiger Woods round, except that he never starts this well at Augusta.

So much for him losing his edge or mental toughness.

As for the gallery reaction, anyone surprised that they roared for Woods at every opportunity, especially on the first tee box, well, you can only be surprised if you've never walked with Woods and seen fans react to him.

"It was unbelievable all day. I haven't heard them cheer this loud in all my years here,'' Woods told the media after his round. "They certainly helped keep my spirits up when I missed some putts. There wasn't anything negative out there at all.''

Woods made sure to smile a lot, tip his cap, talk to his colleagues, and acknowledge fans frequently.

"I was saying thank you all day,'' Woods said. "The fans were incredible.''

The real Tiger came out on 14 when - after a perfect drive - he hit a rotten approach and dropped the club behind him after his follow-through, while loudly admonishing himself.

"Whatever the emotions were, they were,'' he said. "I just went about my business and tried not to give shots away.''

From the start, when he made a statement with a bomb - 280 down the pipe on No. 1 - Woods looked relaxed, calm and confident, and quickly answered any questions about how he might play.

"It felt like a normal first shot,'' Woods said. "Fade on the first tee. It felt like any other normal start.''

Normal, for Woods, like the impossibly massive hook he hit on No. 9 from behind a tree that had to bend 40 yards in a 35 mph crosswind from 210.

It's already the shot of the year, as he turned a sure bogey, or maybe even a double, into a 12-foot birdie attempt, which he made to pull within a couple shots of the leaders.

Vintage Tiger Woods after 20 weeks away from the course, and now he's only 2 shots back.

So what's that mean to Woods after all that's occurred since Thanksgiving?

"What's it mean?'' Woods said, teeing up the question. "It means I'm 2 shots off the lead.''

Asked and, like all other questions Thursday, answered.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 8 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM.