Tiger Woods leads the PGA Championship with 1-over par 72

Tiger Woods was back on the golf course on Thursday morning at the 2024 PGA Championship for the first time during the competition ever since his finish at last-place in the 2024 Masters.

After a shaky start off the 10th tee on the back nine that highlighted multiple knee-knocking par saves, Woods for a brief while found some footing on the front nine but tanked down the stretch on the way to an opening-round 1-over 72 at Valhalla Golf Club, reports Golfweek.

The four-time PGA champion in the last 25 appearances won the 2000 PGA held here at the big ballpark in Kentucky but missed the cut the last time the championship was held at Valhalla in 2014.

“I am getting stronger for sure. It’s just that I just don’t play a whole lot of competitive rounds,” Woods said on Thursday.

“I haven’t played since the Masters. So it’s a little bit different than being at home and playing a flat Florida course.”

Starting on the par-5 10th hole, Woods missed a great look at birdie which didn’t quite come near the hole.

Missing greens and fairways can become a penalty real quick at Valhalla, especially due to the thick grass after three days of rain leading up to the first round.

Woods learned the lesson the hard way on the par-3 11th where he made bogey after airmailing the green.