2024 Masters Tiger updates: Woods opens with 73, projected to ...

Woods inside projected cut line as he eyes history Friday

Friday will tell us a lot about the state of Tiger Woods.

The five-time Masters winner stood 1-under through 13 holes when play was suspended due to darkness Thursday night. Step one, done.

Step two will be much more difficult. Woods, who had played just 24 holes of PGA TOUR competition entering this week, is tasked with completing 23 holes on Friday — the final five of his first round and his full 18-hole second round.

Opening round play resumed at 7:50 a.m. ET Friday, just over 12 hours after it was suspended Thursday night. How will Woods’ body hold up with the short recovery time? That’s the million-dollar question.

"The body is okay," Woods said Thursday evening. "We've got some work to do yet tonight."

After undergoing ankle surgery following a WD during the third round of last year’s Masters, Woods returned to PGA TOUR competition at The Genesis Invitational in February, where he opened in 1-over 72 but withdrew during the second round due to flu-like symptoms. The Masters is Woods’ first start since withdrawing at The Genesis, and he said Tuesday that he still believes he can contend and win. That’s why he’s here, after all.

“If everything comes together, I think I can get one more,” said the five-time Masters winner on Tuesday.

Count the weather as one thing against Woods. A two-and-a-half-hour rain delay on Thursday forced him to return early Friday morning to complete his first round; his already tight recovery timeline sped up even more. It looked that way in the opening holes with some good and bad swings mixed in. He walked well at times; he walked gingerly at times. His physical progression throughout Friday will be important.

Woods entered the week on a streak of 23 consecutive made cuts at the Masters, sharing the all-time record with Fred Couples and Gary Player. He'll have a chance Friday to hold that record alone, but expected windy conditions (up to 34 mph) should offer a challenge for Woods and the field at large.

Read below for a hole-by-hole look at Woods' Friday at Augusta National.

Hole 18 (par 4, 465 yards): Tiger has great rhythm with the driver, with another perfectly placed tee shot in the 18th fairway. It's a mighty encouraging sign as the first round finishes up and Woods readies for 18 more holes. It's a 287-yard drive. He has 171 yards into the closing par 4.

After Max Homa's approach got swallowed up by the wind and found the right greenside bunker, Woods plays a nearly identical shot. The wind impacted those shots much more than either player anticipated. Woods will need an up-and-down to finish even-par for the first round.

Nearly more short game magic for Woods! His bunker shot comes just inches from hitting the flagstick. Instead, it races by and Woods has more than he bargained for -- 16 feet for par. He gets the putt to the hole but doesn't play enough break. He closes with a bogey.

Woods finishes with an opening-round 73. That's a solid result given his lack of competitive reps, though Woods is surely disappointed after he was 1 under through 13 holes when play suspended Thursday night. He won't have much time to dwell on the finish. His second round tee time is scheduled for 10:18 a.m. ET. He has around 45 minutes to grab some food, keep the body loose and get ready for 18 more holes.

Hole 17 (par 4, 440 yards): It's another low, fading bullet with the driver that finds the fairway. Woods is 3-for-3 in fairways hit this morning. That's a great sign. He's hit 77% of the fairways in this first round, slightly better than the field average.

With 158 yards into the green, Woods pulls 9-iron and plays the smart shot, leaving himself below the hole. He will have 23 feet for birdie. After a few shaky iron swings to start the morning, Woods has hit two solid ones with his tee shot on 16 and now this approach.

Woods leaves his birdie putt short. That's three putts left short in his opening four holes of the day. But it is another stress-free par. Those are always welcome at Augusta National, particularly on the 17th.

Hole 16 (par 3, 170 yards): Woods pulls 7-iron after watching Jason Day put one in the water with the same club. The 82-time PGA TOUR winner doesn't make the same mistake. Woods safely lands it 20 feet past the pin and uses the slope to get it on the same plateau as the hole. He will have 20 feet for birdie.

It's a quick putt, meandering slightly left to right. Woods handles it with care but doesn't give it quite enough pace. That will be another par for Woods. He's 1-over since play resumed today but has made two relatively easy pars after that opening bogey.

Hole 15 (par 5, 550 yards): Woods’ drive finds the fairway but it will be a lay-up with 273 yards remaining into the green. He does just that, leaving himself 70 yards. It's a tricky wedge shot on a severe downslope and Woods can't control the spin as the ball rolls off the back of the green. Woods' ball-striking has been iffy to start, but his touch is fully activated as he nearly holes the chip for birdie. He makes the comebacker for par.

It's a hole you'd like to make birdie, but Woods will take the par. He is clearly laboring this morning; the short turnaround time was likely going to be problematic. As the weather warms and Woods gets a few more swings, let's see how his body progresses.

Hole 14 (par 4, 440 yards): Play resumed as scheduled at 7:50 a.m. ET. Woods plays his patented cut off the tee and finds the fairway. The 315-yard drive leaves him just 119 yards into the green, but Woods lays the sod over a wedge and comes up short of the green. That leaves Woods with a delicate chip, with the pin sitting on the top of a slope on the back of the green. Woods opts to hit a low spinner, but the ball releases out and Woods has 22 feet for par. The curling right-to-left putt come up just short. Woods makes bogey and drops a shot.

Recap his first day at the Masters here.