Tiger Woods' first shot at the Masters in 3 years did not go well, but he did manage to recover

Masters.com

Tiger Woods return to the Masters didn't get off to an ideal start on Thursday, but he was able to brilliantly recover to save par.

• Tiger Woods made his return to Augusta National official on Thursday after missing the Masters the past two years.
• His first shot did not go well, veering off course and into the crowd gathered in anticipation of his comeback.
• Woods recovered brilliantly though and was able to save par on the hole.

After two years on the sidelines, Tiger Woods finally made his return to Augusta National to compete in the Masters on Thursday.

The golf world has been looking forward to Woods' return, and expectations could not have been higher for him stepping into the first tee box at Augusta National. But on his first swing back at the Masters, Woods hit the ball straight into the crowd.

It was definitely not the start that Woods hoped to have, but in Tiger fashion, he would recover brilliantly, scooping the ball out of the woods to the edge of the green on his second shot, and then two-putting from there to save par.

Woods' comeback has easily been the biggest story in golf heading into the first major of the year, with ticket prices shooting up in anticipation of his return. Woods even briefly became the favorite to win the tournament in Las Vegas after a string of brilliant play, those his odds would eventually settle in a more reasonable place.

The first hole was just the first of (hopefully) 72 to be played, but after holding their breath after his tee shot, Tiger fans around the world could let out an exhale when he came back to start the day even.

You can follow Tiger Woods through his entire first round online at Masters.com.