2018 Masters Leaderboard Live: Tiger Woods Returns, Tee Times and TV

AUGUSTA, GA. — After years in the wilderness, Tiger Woods is suddenly playing well again, potentially sending an electrifying jolt into the PGA Tour.

Tiger Woods practicing at Augusta National on Tuesday. Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Woods, 42, has not won since 2013 and has not won a major since 2008. He did not even play the Masters the last two years. But with his ongoing back problems seemingly behind him, Woods placed second and fifth in his last two Tour events, raising hopes that he can roll back the years. Woods tees off at 10:42 a.m. Eastern.

Here are today’s tee times. Stay for live scores, updates and analysis from the first round of the 2018 Masters at Augusta National:

How to watch: The first group tees off at 8:30 a.m. The ESPN broadcast begins at 3 p.m., but you can watch a live stream at Masters.com.

Vijay Singh 2-Under After 2

Vijay Singh sinks a 6-footer to birdie No. 2 and move to 2-under, still alone at the top. Under par starts for Bernd Wiesberger and Satoshi Kodaira too. But even the world’s biggest Bernd Wiesberger and Satoshi Kodaira fans are likely to be turning their attention in another direction in 10 minutes time as Tiger Woods prepares to tee off.

Tiger Woods Warming Up

Tiger countdown: It’s one of the most anticipated tee-offs in years. Tiger Woods, rejuvenated and back at Augusta, site of some of his greatest triumphs. Will he be the Tiger Woods of old, shooting low and daring the field to come after him? Or the Tiger Woods who struggled with injuries and personal demons for years? We’ll find out soon. He’s on the practice tee right now, with a black cap and black sweater. His first swing comes at 10:42 a.m. Eastern.

An Old Favorite on Top ... For Now

Is this 2018 or 2000? Someone breaks par and it’s 55-year-old Vijay Singh, with a birdie at 1. He is alone at the top of the leaderboard.

Moore Falters; Nobody Under Par in Early Groups

Ryan Moore’s birdie-birdie start turned to birdie-birdie-bogie-double bogey, and he has fallen off the early leaderboard. No player is under par, leaving a multi-way tie at even par. Ted Potter Jr., Mike Weir and amateurs Harry Ellis and Matt Parziale are on the wrong side of the leaderboard at 2 over.

Ryan Moore Is the (Very) Early Leader

Ryan Moore’s birdie-birdie start turned to birdie-birdie-bogie, but he still leads with the only red number, one under. Ted Potter Jr., Mike Weir and amateur Harry Ellis are on the wrong side of the leaderboard at 2 over.

Injury Update: Tony Finau Will Play

Tony Finau is expected to be among those starting at 12:43, to his relief. Finau celebrated a hole-in-one in the par-3 exhibition on Wednesday a little too jubilantly and dislocated an ankle. He did not finish the event, but word is he will play today.

Tony Finau:
Hits hole-in-one at The Maters Dislocates his ankle
Pops it back in
Waves to crowd
WHAT! pic.twitter.com/zkC4bIGNAK
— 12up (@12upSport) April 4, 2018

The First Group Is Off the Tee

The Masters got underway at 8:30 a.m. Eastern with an opening threesome that lacked big names: Austin Cook, Wesley Bryan and Ted Potter Jr. All three qualified by winning a Tour event in the last year, but among them they have only four career Tour wins. Cook is the (very) early leader after making a birdie. Former champ Ian Woosnam is in the second group, and amateur fireman Matt Parziale in group 3. Tiger Woods tees off at 10:42.

What to Expect in Round 1

• Woods loves Augusta National. In 18 professional appearances at the Masters he has four wins and 11 total top-10 finishes.

• Who’s hot? Well, three big names all won important events in March. Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters winner, won in Mexico for his first PGA victory in almost five years. Rory McIlroy, who has won every major but the Masters, won the Arnold Palmer. And Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters winner, won the match-play event in Texas.

• Who are those guys with Tiger? All eyes will be on Woods in his threesome, especially since his playing partners are relatively unheralded. Marc Leishman, a 34-year-old Australian, has three PGA wins, while 27-year-old Tommy Fleetwood plays mostly in Europe. Each is about 75-1 to win. (Woods is among the favorites at 15-1.)

There's no other place in golf that changes the whole tournament like this. How to play Amen Corner, with @TigerWoods. pic.twitter.com/k3TKPwc1Q9
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 1, 2018

• At 24, Justin Thomas is the reigning PGA champion, won a Tour event in Florida in February and is the second ranked golfer in the world. But is Augusta his kind of course? He was 39th and 22nd in his two starts here.

He acknowledged that he has been picking the brains of veterans to make up for his inexperience. But, he said, “I think that Tiger’s probably going to be a little harder to get stuff out of than when he was hurt and I was asking him questions.”

• The battle for low amateur can be an entertaining sideshow. Joaquin Niemann of Chile, the Latin American Amateur champion, is the favorite of the six amateurs, but firefighter Matt Parziale may be the sentimental choice.

• The Masters has the smallest field of any of the majors, but does allow all ex-champions to play, even those who have not contended in a while. This year those include Bernhard Langer (1985 and ’93), Fred Couples (’92), Ian Woosnam (’91), Sandy Lyle (’88) and Larry Mize (’87). All of them can be had at 1,000-1 odds.

• Jack Nicklaus (six wins) and Gary Player (three) aren’t playing, but were the ceremonial honorary starters.

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