AUGUSTA, Ga. –  Jordan Spieth finally slipped up, making an ugly double bogey at the 17th hole Saturday.

It wasn’t enough to keep him from setting another Masters scoring record.

With a brilliant up-and-down at the final hole, Spieth shot a 2-under 70 that gave him the lowest 54-hole score in tournament history and sent him to the final round with a four-stroke lead.

Spieth’s total over three mostly brilliant days at Augusta National was 16-under 200, breaking the mark of 201 set by Raymond Floyd in 1976 and matched by Tiger Woods in 1997.

The 21-year-old Texan set the record even with a double bogey at the 17th, giving a glimmer of hope to those who’ll be chasing him Sunday.

“I thought 2 under would be a good score,” Spieth said. “Obviously I would have liked to finish the round a little better, but it could have been worse.”

Justin Rose birdied five of the last six holes for a 67 that got him into the final group with Spieth on Sunday. Rose was at 204 overall, and three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson was another stroke behind after shooting 67.

Spieth joined Tiger Woods as the only players in Masters history to get to 18 under with a birdie putt at the 16th hole, giving him a seven-stroke lead – his biggest yet.

Then, he showed he’s human.

Spieth’s drive at the 17th wound up in the trees, and his second shot came up short of the green. He flubbed a chip, barely making the green, and then three-putted for the double bogey.

He also messed up his approach at the final hole, the ball sailing into the gallery behind the green. With a bunker in his way and not much green to work with, Spieth hit a dazzling shot that left a 10-footer to save par and set the record. He calmly rolled it in – not a shoe-in for the final round, but still firmly in control of the tournament.

“To see any putt go in on 18 is nice,” he said. “It was really big. It was huge. It’s one of the bigger putts I’ve ever hit.”

For the second year in a row, Spieth will be in the final group on Sunday.

He had a two-shot lead early in the round last year but faded down the stretch, finishing as a runner-up behind Bubba Watson.

This year, it’s essentially a four-man game going to the last round.

Charley Hoffman (71) is the only other player with a single-digit deficit. He’s six shots back.

The group at 210 includes Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who both shot 68s.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods is back.

Maybe.

He shot a 68 Saturday at Augusta National, putting together his first back-to-back rounds in the 60s at the Masters in 10 years, and his first in a major anywhere since 2012. But he was certain it could have been even better.

“Oh, man,” Woods said afterward, “It could have been something seriously low today.”

He finished off a recap of his round a moment later by adding ruefully, “All-in-all, if you probably look at it, it should have been about two shots better.”

Instead of lingering on what he’d accomplished already, Woods set his sights on Sunday.

“I’m going to have to put together a really special round of golf” on Sunday,” he said. “You saw what happened here in `96 (when Nick Faldo made up a 6-shot deficit over Greg Norman). You saw what happened with Rory (McIlroy, who took a 4-shot lead into the final round) in `11.

“You never know,” he continued, “around this golf course.”

Woods arrived in Augusta with questions about both the state of his short game and the swing changes he’d attempted to make with new coach Chris Como. The four-time Masters winner acknowledged there were few places better to test both than Augusta, which places a premium on chipping and putting, and where his knowledge of the greens would force him to hit precise approach shots from a variety of tough lies.

“This is probably one of the harder tournaments to come back to because, as any golfer understands, (it’s) a golf course that’s hilly … (requiring) the right trajectory, the right shape the right feels. On top of that,” Woods added, “you have to miss it in the correct spots.”

In a few cases, Woods wasn’t up to the task.

He followed up a bad miss left off the 13th tee with a curse word that was picked up by an on-course microphone, prompting the CBS announcers to intone, “If you heard something offensive at 13, we apologize.” But he caught a break on his lie in the woods, punched back into the fairway and wound up knocking in a 15-footer for what Woods called a “stupidly good birdie,” his fifth of six on the day.

A hole later, he sprayed his drive into the woods on the right, recovered with a smart approach shot, but then three-putted from almost 100 feet for a “stupidly bad bogey,” one of just two Woods carded on the day.

He said his goal was to get 10-under by the end of the round, in case leader Jordan Spieth “went off a little bit, at least I was within range.” Spieth did spill a few shots at the end of his round; he reached 18-under before double-bogeying No. 17 and making par at the 18th. But it still left Woods in a five-way tie for fifth, with major winners Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose and surprising dogged Charley Hoffman sandwiched between him and the leader.

“To come back here and play in a major championship and to be in the mix – granted, I’ve got to shoot a super low” score on Sunday, Woods said, “but at least I’ve given myself a chance.”

And even if that doesn’t happen, Woods couldn’t hide his satisfaction at being back in the championship discussion. Asked what grade he’d give himself for the tournament, he smiled.

“A good one,” Woods replied.

Easter has passed and sadly, the golf season still hasn’t started in some parts of the country.

It is now Masters Week – one of the most exciting golf weeks of the year.  For many across the prairies, through Ontario and into Quebec, this week will coincide with courses opening and enthusiastic golfers returning to the links.  Players in the west have enjoyed a mild winter, providing ample opportunity for an early start to the spring season.  For most in Atlantic Canada however, the Masters will be the only green grass and flowers these players see this week, what with so much snow to melt and cold temperatures still lingering.

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Winnipeg Golf Expo.  It was refreshing to spend a couple of days talking about golf with so many friendly golfers anxious to play this year.  There were foursomes, families, and lots of juniors taking in the show together.  Several little juniors enjoyed hitting their first few shots of the season in the CN Future Links booth while adults tested new equipment in the manufacturers demo area.

Being from Southern Ontario, it was interesting to hear about the beautiful courses in the area. Some of the golfers had club memberships, but the majority in attendance talked about their enjoyment of playing at a variety of golf courses – they did not seem too interested in playing at the same one all the time.  If this becomes a trend, how can golf facilities adapt their sales packages and perhaps work with other nearby courses to meet the needs of golfers looking for variety?

It’s definitely something to ponder…

In the meantime, some facilities have taken to snow blowing and ploughing their facilities to expedite the opening process – I love this creative assertion towards Mother Nature. I want to wish all of our golfers and facilities a long and successful season.  I hope golf in Canada gets underway everywhere across the country soon.

Post some scores and track your progress this year and let’s have fun! Stay fit and healthy by playing plenty of rounds and you’ll see some better stats by the end of the season.  I will check in with you all later on this.

Enjoy The Masters!  It truly is a special week in golf.

Christine Dengel is a PGA of Canada golf professional with more than 30 years of experience in multiple facets of the golf industry, and a lifelong passion for and commitment to the game of golf. Prior to joining Golf Canada, she was a Territory Sales Manager for Callaway Golf Canada for 18 years. During her time with Callaway, Dengel managed the GTA and Southwestern Ontario territory from 1992-2005 and has managed the Southern Ontario territory since 2006.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The man was so darned agreeable from tee to green you half-expected his post-round interview to begin:

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, I’m Tiger Woods and I’ll be here all week. Don’t forget to tip your server.”

If you thought Woods conducted himself like a recent charm-school graduate at a few Masters events earlier this week, you should have seen him Friday, when he finally put together a round of golf worth getting warm and fuzzy over. He laughed a lot, worked the crowd, chipped the ball reasonably well, and even cracked the occasional joke.

Shooting 69 will do that for a tortured soul, especially since that was the best number Woods has posted at Augusta National since the final round in 2011. It was miles better than anything in his only two outings in 2015: a missed cut at Phoenix and first-round withdrawal at Torrey Pines.

“All you gotta do is believe!” a fan along the ropes shouted as Woods strode to the ninth tee after back-to-back birdies.

Woods cracked a wide smile. “I hear you bro,” he said.

Walking off the same tee a few minutes later, after his drive curled to a stop at the right edge of the fairway, Woods caught caddie Joe LaCava talking with a friend.

“Get your mind back on golf!” he barked at LaCava in mock anger, then nearly burst out laughing.

If those few moments of brilliance on the course were reminiscent of an earlier Woods, his demeanor was something almost entirely new. He isn’t sniffing any roses yet, but he certainly seems more interested in the view. After an absence of 11 years, Woods returned to the par-3 contest with his kids and girlfriend Lindsey Vonn in tow.

Instead of the thousand-yard stare, he regularly made eye-contact with fans. Instead of threatening to helicopter a club down the fairway after a bad shot – as he did at No. 15 on Thursday – Woods simply dropped his head to his chest for a heartbeat, then quickly collected himself and headed down the fairway.

More telling, perhaps, he answered patiently when two of the seven questions he fielded post-round were about Jordan Spieth, the 21-year-old Texan who’s stolen the spotlight and is threatening to run away with the tournament.

The old Tiger rarely made time to talk about anyone else.

Asked if he could remember what it was like to be 21 and leading the Masters – as he had in 1997 – Woods said, “Well, the difference is that he’s separated himself between first and third. I didn’t have that separation after two rounds. I believe I only had a three-shot lead at the time. So there’s a big difference. He’s put out a big enough gap between the rest of the pack.”

And when the talk turned back to Woods, he turned reflective – at least as reflective as most of us could remember.

“Very proud of what I’ve done, to be able to dig it out the way I have,” he said.

“I told you guys on Tuesday, I was at a pretty low (point) in my career. But to basically change an entire pattern like that and put it together and put it in a position where I can compete in a major championship like this,” Woods added, “is something I’m very proud of.”

He’s been humbled by a lack of success and a variety of ailments, some self-inflicted, others beyond his control. At 39, nearly all of the sponsors who deserted him after the car crash at the end of his driveway have stayed away and his body has been betraying him with alarming frequency.

His pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 career major championships has been stalled at 14 for seven years now.

One thing, though, hasn’t changed: Woods still talks bravely about winning every time he sets foot on a course.

“I’m still right there. I’m 12 back (behind leader Spieth), but there’s not a lot of guys ahead of me. And with 36 holes here to go, anything can happen, you know. … There’s so many holes to play and so many different things can happen.”

Yet those pronouncements sound hopelessly dated now, even at Augusta National. There was a time when a charge by Woods up the leaderboard here – even a modest one like Friday’s – sent ripples through the galleries and shivers down the spines of his rivals.

He may be in the same place, but that seems like an increasingly distant time.

TORONTO – If you have ever dreamed of what it might be like to try to make a 30-footer on No. 18 at Augusta National Golf Club with the Sunday pin placement for the Masters, you might want to ask Vanessa Borovilos for some advice.

The eight-year-old from Toronto has been there and done that, in last Sunday’s Drive, Chip and Putt Championship. Along the way, she learned valuable lessons about never giving up and what it takes to become a champion.

Vanessa stroked her first putt on No. 18 at Augusta National to within two feet of the hole from 30 feet away. Then she edged her second put from the 15 foot marker to just under 18 inches from the cup to finish third out of 10 in the putting portion of the challenge for girls nine and under.

“There’s some pressure” she says, but it’s “an exciting feeling” more than it’s “scary” and that’s probably why the Grade 3 St. George’s Junior School student was able to move from last place to fourth overall in what she says was an “amazing experience.” “Everything was fun. I’m pleased with my overall performance and I really want to go back next year and win it,” she says with a big grin on her face. It’s the smile on her face and the look in her eyes that tell you this was an amazing journey.

It all started by travelling to and winning three qualifying tournament in the United States last summer with her father Dino, who acted as her caddy during the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National. Check out www.drivechipandputt.com for details on how to sign up for this summer’s qualifiers. For the national championship, Vanessa, her mom, dad and brother flew to Augusta and they stayed together at a Marriott hotel for four nights with a great pool, which is important to eight-year-olds!

She had two practice sessions at a nearby golf club with many of her other fellow competitors on the Saturday to get used to being outdoors again after a long winter of training indoors with coach Doug Lawrie from the Focus Golf Group in Burlington and many nights at a nearby indoor golf dome.

On Saturday night, the 80 Drive, Chip and Putt competitors attended a welcome reception and dinner in downtown Augusta. Billy Payne, Chairman of Augusta National GC and the Masters Tournament, expressed his pride in the accomplishments of the Drive, Chip and Putt finalists. “I truly hope you realize that you have already achieved what millions of others dreamed,” Payne said. “You’re the astronauts who walked on the moon, you’re the pitcher who tossed a no-hitter in the World Series, you’re the golfer who made a hole-in-one on the very first par 3 they ever played. But most importantly, you’re the kids who have been given this unbelievable opportunity because your parents love you, and they have made considerable sacrifices to give you this great opportunity.”

Vanessa was up bright and really early the next morning for a breakfast of waffles and waiting for the 9:15 am shuttle drive to take the nine-and-under girls to Augusta National. After the drive down Magnolia Lane, being warmly greeted and welcomed by Augusta members and an hour to warm up, it was off to the stadium at the practice range for the first event – just two balls for two drives!

“I hit my first drive really hard, but hooked it,” Vanessa said noting that it went out of bounds. She let up on her second drive to try and keep it in play, which she did, but it left her in last place among the 10 competitors.

“When we got to the chipping area, Vanessa was feeling good about being there, but not so good about the driving,” says her father Dino, who tried to lift her spirits. “Vanessa didn’t watch the other girls chip like she did with the driving. I really think she wanted to focus on what she wanted to do. I think she got into her zone.”

From 16 yards away from the hole, Vanessa’s first pitch rolled to within six feet of the cup and then she calmly knocked the second shot to three feet to finish second in chipping. “That felt really good,” Vanessa says, as she moved from 10^th to seventh spot in the standings. She improved to fourth place overall with a third place finish in putting.

“I had a tremendous sense of pride seeing how she finished,” says coach Lawrie, a Golf Canada Future Links Leader Facilitator, who spent the winter months working with Vanessa on changes to her full swing. “I knew going in there was a good chance if she stuck a drive that she had a really good chance of winning the overall title because her chipping and putting is so good. To perform in that pressure environment on national TV with thousands of people watching and you only get two drives, two chips and two putts, I was absolutely amazed at her performance.”

Jayla Kucy from Camrose, Alta. finished T8 in the same division at Vanessa as she placed ninth in driving, seventh in chipping and fourth in pitching. The third Canadian in the championship, Ryan Blair from Oakbank, Man., finished ninth overall in the Boys 10-11 age group placing fifth in driving, ninth in chipping and eighth in putting.

The following day, Vanessa and her family returned to Augusta to watch Monday’s practice round. She smiles when talking about following her favourite golfer Rory McIlroy for six or seven holes, meeting Canadian amateur Corey Conners, getting her Masters hat signed by players like Ricky Fowler and JB Holmes and hopefully being able to play all 18 holes at Augusta one day – and not just the 18^th green!

“It’s a beautiful place. I sure hope I’m back next year,” she says. And so does all of Canada!

Did you Know?

Canada has its own version of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship that predates the Masters’ adaptation?

To learn more about Canada’s CN Future Links Junior Skills Challenge, click here.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Farewell, Gentle Ben.

Ben Crenshaw closed out his Masters career with two rounds he would prefer to forget, but a lifetime of memories from his 44 appearances at Augusta National.

Crenshaw, a two-time Masters champion, was greeted by his longtime caddie, Carl Jackson, when he came off the green for the final time after making another bogey at the 18th hole.

Jackson wasn’t in good enough health to carry the clubs for 36 holes, so he turned over the duties to his younger brother Bud, a longtime caddie at Augusta National. But Carl donned the white coveralls, with Crenshaw’s name on the back, and walked slowly on the green to hug the golfer after he tapped out for a 13-over 85.

The 63-year-old Crenshaw finished last in the field with a 176 – 32 over par.

Defending Master champion Bubba Watson, having just finished his round about a half-hour earlier, was among those who came out to watch Crenshaw close out his playing career. His wife, three daughters, and other family members were also there for the emotional scene.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – His hair once defined Charley Hoffman, long blonde locks of it spilling out from beneath his golf hat.

The hair is gone, but if Hoffman gets a break or two this weekend he could be known for something else: Being a Masters champion.

Hoffman added a 4-under 68 Friday to an opening 67 to post a score that would be leading most Masters. Unfortunately for Hoffman, Jordan Spieth is on a record-setting run in this Masters and is five shots ahead of Hoffman, his closest challenger.

“I guess the hair’s gone, so I’m not that much different than any golfer now,” Hoffman said. “But most importantly, I just want to play good golf and give myself chances to win golf tournaments.”

So far, in just his second Masters, Hoffman has done just that. On another day ripe for scoring on Augusta National, he made his way around bogey-free until failing to get a chip up-and-down on the 18th hole.

It likely gave him a spot in the final group Saturday in a tournament he has mostly enjoyed only on TV.

“I wish it wasn’t only my second Masters, but obviously I’m a little more mature than I was the first time around or even the young golfers that are playing now,” the 38-year-old said. “They change it up every once in a while but you sort of know how to play because you’ve watched it and I think that’s what’s so great about this golf tournament. Everybody sort of knows how the ball rolls when it gets to a certain spot and where you need to be.”

Hoffman has spent the better part of the last decade making a good living on the PGA Tour, winning twice before his win in Mexico in November got him his second invitation to the Masters. He tied for 27th in his only other appearance in 2011.

Though thrilled to be back, he hasn’t let the mystique of the tournament get to him.

“I think any time you come on this piece of property you’re in awe. Everybody is sort of in awe when they play,” he said. “When you get in between the ropes, it’s just golf and you’re trying to hit shots in a specific area on this golf course. So far through 36 I’ve been able to hit my spots, and I think that’s the most important thing.”

Hoffman is at 9-under 135 through those 36 holes, good enough to be in the lead in eight of the last nine Masters. The course is playing softer this year, though, and Spieth has taken full advantage of it to build a commanding lead.

“Jordan’s playing great golf, so sometimes you get in the lead and you sort of maybe change your game plan a little bit,” he said. “I just kept my game plan and just kept trying to make birdies, was able to do a pretty good job of that.”

Hoffman said he won’t change his plan on how to play the course on the weekend, despite having to make up a five-shot deficit on Spieth. Augusta National, he said, is a golf course where picking spots and knowing when not to be overly aggressive.

If that works, people might stop talking about his hair – or lack of it.

“My hair stopped growing on top like it used to, I guess as you would know,” he said. “So it wasn’t that great a look anymore, to be honest with you.”

The Canadian story at Augusta National Friday was the rebound of National Amateur Squad member Corey Conners.

The Listowel, Ont., native returned to his usual form for Friday’s round at Augusta, firing a 3-under par 69 despite a double-bogey on the par-4 10^th. Conners, sporting his bright red Team Canada gear, posted six birdies in his best effort to make the cut. Sadly, he finished five-over par to miss the cut which was made at 2-over.

Friday’s strong performance hints at the elite capabilities of the young Conners, who is primed to make the leap to the professional ranks next week at the RBC Heritage. His round did not go unnoticed by other Canadian golf pros.

Great playing by @coreconn at Augusta. Bright future for sure.

— Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) April 10, 2015

The 23-year-old Canadian was the only amateur to break par at Augusta National. “Drove the ball well, made a lot of iron shots and holed the putts,” said Conners. “Easier to be relaxed when you’re playing well, and I had a lot of fun.” Team Canada coach Derek Ingram also shared his sentiments about the entire experience.

Great to be a small part @coreconn week @TheMasters. Total class act, awesome representative @TheGolfCanada #dragons pic.twitter.com/sWO52gIs2y

— Derek Ingram (@dingramgolf) April 11, 2015

Here was the final amateur leaderboard for the seven amateurs in the field.

Alongside Conners in the 11:25 a.m. tee time was Brights Grove, Ont. native and 2003 Masters champion, Mike Weir. The struggles continued for the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member, who posted a disappointing 80 to finish at 20-over par for the tournament.

Corey Conners’ Scorecard:

Click here to view a summary of Conners’ round.

Mike Weir’s Scorecard:

Click here to view a summary of Weir’s round.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jordan Spieth stepped up for one last putt, nothing more than a tap-in really.

Suddenly, he backed away.

This one was important. It meant history.

After taking his time, Spieth knocked in a short par putt on the 18th hole Friday to claim the 36-hole scoring record at the Masters, breaking a mark that has stood for nearly four decades.

Raymond Floyd reached the midway point of the 1976 Masters with a 131 on the way to an eight-stroke victory.

Spieth did him one better, posting a 14-under 130 that has included 15 birdies and only one bogey through the first two days.

“That’s really cool,” said Spieth, who shot a 6-under 66 on the heels of an opening 64. “It’s cool anytime when you set a record, but to do it here is pretty awesome.”

The 21-year-old Texan was blowing away everyone in the field except Charley Hoffman, and even he faced a rather daunting five-shot deficit after shooting 68.

Normally, Hoffman’s 135 at the midway point would be good enough for the lead.

Not the way Spieth was playing.

“I feel really good this week,” the leader said. “I’m not very nervous.”

Spieth gave a glimpse of his enormous potential a year ago at Augusta, leading on the final day with a chance to become the youngest champion in Masters history. He faded down the stretch, settling for the runner-up spot behind Bubba Watson but leaving no doubt that golf had a budding new star.

Spieth arrived this year on top of his game, having won, finished second, and lost in a playoff in his last three events before the Masters.

“Last year and the momentum from the last few weeks, I’ve been kind of on my game and feeling really good about coming to a place that I love, that everybody loves,” Spieth said. “It’s special. It’s special to be in the tournament, let alone out front.”

Spieth had a 7-foot birdie try at the final hole for a 129. He misread the break and watched it slide past the left side of the cup on the slick Augusta greens.

He initially went up to tap it in, standing awkwardly so he wouldn’t step in the line of playing partner Henrik Stenson, who still had a short putt of his own.

Then, Spieth backed away, marked his ball and waited for Stenson to finish before knocking his in for the record.

“I was a little outside the comfort zone,” Spieth said. “I didn’t want to force anything at that point. I’m going to make it if I step off. There’s no point in letting anything else happen.”

Spieth said his biggest goal on the weekend is to avoid watching the scoreboard.

He knows he’s playing good enough to win. No need to worry about what others are doing.

“Keep my head down, just need to set a goal for myself,” Spieth said. “Obviously Charley’s playing great, and we may be pretty close up there, and who knows what can happen on the weekend here.”

He expects the guys in the green jackets to really toughen up the greens and the pin placements on the weekend, not wanting anyone to dominate their course like Spieth has over the first two days.

“I’m sure they don’t like seeing really low scores,” said Spieth, who also tied the major championship record for lowest 36-hole total, matching three others.

Ernie Els, at 139, was the only other player with a single-digit deficit when Spieth finished his round. Everyone else was at least 10 shots behind.

“He’s special,” said Els, who began the day three shots back and fell farther behind with a 72 on a sultry, overcast day. “Nothing stands out, because he does everything well. He’s going to be tough to beat.”

On Thursday, Spieth posted the lowest opening round at the Masters in 19 years, just one stroke off the major championship scoring record. He came into Friday with a three-shot edge over Els, Hoffman, Justin Rose and Jason Day.

Now, Spieth is even farther ahead.

Not a time to relax, however.

“The weekend of a major, a round can seem like two rounds,” Spieth said. “What’s running through your head, the stress levels are higher. The hardest thing is putting aside wanting to win so bad. … We’re only at the halfway point. I’m aware of that. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Not exactly the Tiger of old.

Not completely terrible, either.

Tiger Woods is probably not going to win the Masters, unless something weird even by his standards happens over the next three rounds. His protestations aside, nine shots is an awful long way to come back for a player whose game is just beginning to come back.

But after a round Thursday where his short game looked much like the Tiger of days past, he walked off the 18th green with a smile on his face and a bit of a bounce in his step. At the very least, Woods has a realistic chance of completing all four rounds of a tournament for the first time since last year’s British Open.

And that’s progress, at least in the way Woods is measured these days.

“I felt good,” Woods said after a shooting a 1-over 73 despite hitting the ball in places around Augusta National he hasn’t seen before. “I felt I hit the ball well enough to shoot 3-under-par.”

Forgive Woods if he was somewhat in denial. Just finishing rounds in the past few years has been an issue, so he had to be breathing a sigh of relief when he sat down at the scorer’s table and signed for his 73.

And the fact is he’s not only nine shots behind first round leader Jordan Spieth, but couldn’t break par on a day made for scoring. Conditions were so benign that nearly a third of the 97-man field finished under par, including 65-year-old Tom Watson, who beat Woods by two shots with a 71.

It was also the highest first round score Woods has shot at the Masters since another 73 on opening day in 2007.

Still, it was a start. The world’s best player, Rory McIlroy, could do only a pair of shots better himself. And the way Woods held things together when they were threatening to go south had to be encouraging just by itself.

Most importantly, the short game that was so shockingly bad earlier this year in Phoenix and San Diego seemed to be back after two months in exile at home in Florida spent working on it.

“It’s my strength again,” Woods said. “That’s why I’ve busted my butt. That’s why I took time off. That’s why I hit thousands and thousands of shots to make sure that it’s back to being my strength.”

It was a round that came with a share of drama, beginning on the first tee when Woods pushed a shot into the trees on the right. He hit trees, put a ball in the water on No. 12, and grew so tired of spraying his drives that he cursed at himself in frustration after his tee shot on No. 15 went into the gallery.

But the short game offered hope of better days ahead, most notably on No. 11 when he put a treacherous pitch shot 5 feet from the hole to salvage par. And fans chimed in to offer their hope that Woods might climb the leaderboard one day again.

“Relax, Tiger,” one yelled out after Woods 3-putted the first hole for bogey.

If only it was that easy. Then again, maybe it was, judging from the fun Woods seemed to have the day before when he played the par-3 contest with his two children and girlfriend Lindsey Vonn along for the walk.

That wasn’t the Tiger Woods who won four green jackets before he turned 30, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Woods of old was a menacing presence who intimidated other players and walked the fairways with blinders on, seemingly oblivious to both fans and his fellow competitors.

On Thursday he showed off his kinder and gentler side as he chatted amiably with playing partner Jimmy Walker while they made their way around the course on a steamy afternoon.

“He played OK,” Walker said. “He had a couple wild shots. We all did today.”

Woods is notorious for never admitting he is out of a tournament, so it was little surprise that he believes he can still win. But the reality is he hasn’t been able to do that since 2005 here, and he’s been stuck on 14 major tournament wins ever since the 2008 U.S. Open.

And the oddsmakers in Vegas that made him a 25-1 longshot to win lengthened those odds to 60-1 after the first round.

“You know, I’m still in it,” Woods insisted. “I’m only nine back. And we have a long way to go. And we don’t know what the Masters is going to do, what they’re going to do with the greens or the golf course. You know how they like to change things every now and then.”

Back at a place he loves, a place where he’s had so much success, Woods is starting to believe once again.

Don’t look at the scoreboard, and it almost seems like old times.