AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods can still draw a crowd.
And the way he started the Masters on Thursday, there seems a good chance the tournament’s patrons will get to cheer him on through the weekend.
With a massive gallery hanging on his every swing on a windy afternoon at Augusta National Golf Club, Woods recorded a pair of birdies on the front side and was 1 under par when darkness suspended the opening round of the year’s first major championship event.
Woods’ performance was especially impressive in swirling gusts that were forecast to climb to 45 mph, the towering Georgia pines swaying like those inflated stick figures advertising a mattress store sale.
“The wind was all over the place,” Woods said. “It was one of the most tricky days that I’ve ever been a part of. It was hard to get a bead not only on what direction it was going, but the intensity, and it kept switching all over the place.