Tiger Wood's comeback is a mixed bag

Tiger Woods found the going tough on his return to competitive golf, with a rollercoaster ride in his first-round game.

The last time the 14-time major champion was seen on the fairway was 15 months ago and in the intervening period, has twice had surgery on the back that has so troubled him in recent years.

There was even talk at one stage that his career might be over – but Woods teed off at the Hero World Challenge in Albany, the Bahamas, on Thursday and finished on one over 73, nine shots off the pace set by leader JB Holmes.

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He began well, however, posting four birdies in the first eight holes. But a poor drive on the ninth resulted in a bogey and that precipitated a collapse in form on the back nine holes, culminating in double bogeys on the 16th and 18th.

That might be attributable to his lack of competitive fitness, but there were plenty of positives the world number 898 could take after his round of 73.

"It could have been something really good," he said. "I got off to a solid start but then I made a few mistakes... I had some awkward shots. If you drive great you can take advantage of this golf course, but if you don't you can end up in bushes or rocks and go sideways."

Nevertheless, Woods said he "felt pretty good" with the way he played after more than a year out.

"I was pleased with how quickly I fell into the competitive flow of things, how I got used to the feel of the round," he said. "By the time I hit my tee shot on the 2nd, I was already in the flow of the round. To not play for 15 months and get that on the second hole was nice."

Revealing he had to "dumb down" a rush of adrenaline as he stepped on to the tee for the first time this year, Woods said he was "looking forward to the next few days".

So is JB Holmes, who shot an eight-under-par 64 to lead the 18-man field. But even if the American goes on to win the title, he'll be overshadowed by Woods.

"The guy looked like he had complete control of his golf ball and he was playing really well," said Woods's playing partner, Patrick Reed. "It's good to see him play, and good to see him come out and play so well after such a long lay-off."

England's Justin Rose, back in action after a seven-week break, could only manage a round of 74 to trail the field at the end of the first day.