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Tiger Woods mid-round update: 1-under through front 9

Woods, in his first competitive round in 301 days, had two birdies and a bogey to finish the front nine at the Hero World Challenge.

It wasn't vintage Tiger, but it was Tiger.

Tiger Woods made the turn at 1-under par in his first competitive round of golf in 301 days in his long-awaited return Thursday in the first round of the Hero World Challenge at the Albany resort in the Bahamas.

Showing no signs of limits in his swing, Woods had two birdies — the first by reaching the 572-yard par-5 third hole in two and another at the par-3 eighth — before closing with a disappointing bogey on the par-5 ninth when he was greenside in two but struggled with his short game, a sign that this was his first competitive round in some nine months.

Teeing off just after noon ET, Woods' booming 300-yard opening tee ball flirted with a sandy waste area on the left side of the fairway and — maybe in a nod from the golf gods — got a good kick that bounced the ball into the fairway, leaving him 99 yards to the hole.

From there, he pitched to approximately 15 feet and burned the left edge with his birdie putt. He settled for an effortless par, and just like that he was off in the event he has won five times. Easy.

He worked his way around the front nine without any major problems, looking at times rusty (particularly chipping) but at other times positively Tiger-like, fist pumps and all.

He made the turn three shots back of the leaders in a star-studded limited field, with Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth all at minus-4. Woods pulled within two with a bounceback birdie on No.10. Again, very Tiger-like.

Now comes the hard part: Making this comeback stick. Plagued by back problems that have resulted in four surgeries, the most recent in April, as well as turmoil in his private life, Woods — winner of 14 major titles — has plummeted from his longtime perch as world No. 1 to No. 1,199 in the rankings (even if he finishes last at this week's limited-field event, he's guaranteed to rise in the rankings).

His every swing this week, on the practice range and in the pro-am leading up the start of the tournament, has been diagnosed by the media onlookers, and the rekindled interest by golf fans is evident in the type of coverage he will see. Case in point: Golf Channel's Tiger Tracker feed on Twitter tweeted what he would be wearing in Round 1.

amiable </a> ") and attitude (" grateful "), plus what clubs are in his bag , have been the subject of assessment, too." data-reactid="37">Not only that, but his mood (" amiable ") and attitude (" grateful "), plus what clubs are in his bag , have been the subject of assessment, too.

And no wonder. It had been 301 days since Woods, 41, last played competitively, as he teed it up Thursday alongside PGA Championship winner and reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year Justin Thomas as the headline act the small but stellar field at Albany's 7,300-yard layout.

Woods hasn't won a tournament since 2013 (when he won five), and it may be unrealistic to expect him to contend right away, but the way he is swinging the club this week offers optimism that he may finally be back to stay.

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