Tiger Woods quickly won back golf fans with a fine performance on his return to the US tour.

At the Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades, California, the 47-year-old needed 69 shots on the first round, with two under par he tied for 27th place.

"I didn't look up that much," Woods said of the cheers from fans who began chanting his name. "I've been trying all day to calm down and figure out what the hell I'm doing out here." The 15-time major champion last took part in a tournament on the PGA professional tour at the British Open in St. Andrews seven months ago.

The golf superstar still knows how to do it. "I was able to fight back and get the game going," said Woods after a few shots didn't quite go as well. In the end, however, he delighted the fans with his precise game and said after playing a birdie on each of the last three holes: "It was a nice finish."

In February 2021, Woods broke his right leg several times in a serious car accident, since then the long-standing number one in the world has only played in a few selected tournaments.