Tiger Woods was greeted by a swarm of supportive fans on Thursday, eager to see him tee off for his first PGA Tournament start since last July.
Woods had a strong opening round at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, closing out day one with three back-to-back birdies for two-under on the day.
He will go into Friday tied at 27, five strokes back from co-leaders Max Homa and Keith Mitchell, who shot seven-under on Thursday.
"I can hit the ball. The question is whether I had the endurance in my leg," Woods told reporters after the first round. "I can still hit shots, it's the walking, the endurance that I'm worried about."
Woods has spent the last two years rehabilitating his right leg and foot -- and in the process, his career -- after a major car accident following the Genesis Invitational in February 2021 where he nearly lost his leg.
Although slight, Woods was seen with a noticeable limp on the course Thursday.
"The leg is better than it was last year. But it's, it's my ankle," Woods said, adding that he will need to "recover from day to day" but that playing "still stresses it."
The challenge for Woods will admittedly come in the next few days if Woods makes the tournament cut after 36 holes, when the top 65 players in the field will continue into the weekend to finish the event.
If he plays Saturday and Sunday, that will mean more walking than Woods is used to, all day going up and down the course for four days straight.
Woods has 82 all-time PGA Tour victories, tied with Sam Snead for the most wins in PGA Tour history,
And with The Masters less than two months away, Woods admitted The Genesis will be a test for what's to come.
"Fantastic to get to this point. And then after this event, we'll analyze it and see what we need to do to get ready for Augusta," he said.
In his 11 previous appearances at Riviera as a pro, Woods has never played more times on a PGA Tour course without winning. The closest was when he tied for second, two strokes shy of Ernie Els who won it in 1999.