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ATLANTA – The crowd at the opening round of the Tour Championship on Thursday was the biggest and strongest since 2013, the last time Tiger Woods played in the event.
It was not a coincidence.
Woods played one of his best rounds of the year on his return to the FedEx Cup playoff finals and provoked the biggest encouragement of the day by performing an eagle putt. from just over 25 feet to the 18th through 18 65 and a share of the lead with Rickie Fowler.
It was the second time in two FedEx Cup playoff games that Woods was tied in the 18-hole event. Two weeks ago he shot Aronimink 62 in the first round of the BMW Championship on a rain-soaked course that allowed everyone to weaken.
"It was far better than the 62 at Aronimink," Woods said of Thursday's run on the dry and tough course of East Lake. "The conditions were soft there. It's difficult to bring the ball closer. If you drive the ball in the rough, you know you can not get near the ball. You simply can not control it.
Until this month, Woods had not been in the lead after a tournament round since the second day of the 2015 Wyndham Championship, where he had finished in 10th place.
Fowler, who missed two playoffs as he was recovering from an injury to his right diagonal, birdied all but two holes for his 65, as he tried to avoid finishing the season without victory.
Justin Rose, in her debut as world No. 1, took off from the bunker for a birdie on the 18th for a 66 and was tied with Gary Woodland. Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau, who will all be in France next week for the Ryder Cup, have taken another shot.
Woods has already considered this year as a successful year thanks to his participation in the FedEx final (30 players), where everyone managed to capture the $ 10 million bonus. He started the season in January after a fourth operation that limited him to 19 PGA Tour events in the previous four seasons.
"I was hoping to start over again at the beginning of the year to be able to play golf and get back to that level, but I did not know it," said Woods, 42. "And I did it."
What would victory mean in this return?
"It would improve the year," he said.
Woods still has 54 holes left. Two weeks ago, he went from part of the first round to five shots late on a course where attacking flags on soft greens was the only option for a low score.
Thursday was more about precision, and Woods felt total control. He opened with a bogey at three 25-foot strokes, and he ran twice as many birdie attempts past the hole than he would have liked. But having birdied 25 feet at number 5 and 15 feet at number 6, he understood the speed of the greens and was on his way.
"I've hit so many quality shots all day, whether it's tee-to-green or putts," Woods said. "I did not really hit a shot today. The only shot I can honestly say is that the tee shot at age 17 hit me. I hit a 3-wood, and with an iron, I would have probably shot it. But ended up in the fairway and did the par. "
Woods will play in the final group on Friday with Fowler, who had seen a lot of him at his home in Florida in the months leading up to Woods' return to golf. Fowler had finished his tour and was doing interviews when he heard the roar of the head that followed Woods' eagle.
They will be teammates next week at the Ryder Cup. Fowler has other goals in East Lake.
"The biggest win for him is to stay healthy and stay here all year," Fowler said. "Certainly happy for him. It's obviously great for our sport. It's great to have him as a member of the team next week. We hope that he continues to play well. I just want to play a little better and beat him.
Sixteen players from the field of 30 players made the difference on a hot afternoon, with only a slight breeze, and Thursday was all about staying in the match, especially since it affects the pursuit of the FedEx Cup.
Bryson DeChambeau, seeded No. 1 after two wins in the other three playoffs, had two birdies out of three of the last three holes for a 71. For someone like Woods or Fowler to win the FedEx Cup, the five best wobble.
Rose in 2nd place, Finau in 3rd place and Thomas in 5th place did not help, playing good opening rounds. Finau overcame two early bogeys for his 67.
Friday could be crucial for Woods. Only once this year, at the Valspar Championship in March, he remained in full competition throughout the tournament. He thinks he has a lot of support. Houses along the side streets outside East Lake provided parking and their yards were crowded. It has not happened like that in many years.
"I have not been in this tournament for five years and some have said they have not been out here for five years," said Woods. "It's very nice that they come and support this event and they support me as well."
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