2022 Masters Round 1: Tiger Woods shoots 1 under, Sungjae Im leads

The Masters is back and so is Tiger Woods.

The five-time winner, who has been out of competitive action since his devastating car accident 14 months ago, was among those to tee off on Thursday as the first round commenced.

He finished with three birdies and two bogeys for a score of 71 — 1 under par — which left him four strokes behind the leader and tied for 10th place. Woods was on the right track, as the average first-round score of his five Masters wins is 70.8.

2022 Masters: Everything you need to know

Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champ and Jon Rahm entered as the betting favorite, but it was Sungjae Im who finished atop the leaderboard after the first round with a score of 67 — 5 under par.

Here are the top moments from Thursday's first round.

The Golden Bear

Jack Nicklaus is the man Woods is chasing for all-time major championships (Nicklaus has 18, Woods has 15). And Nicklaus was on hand to watch as an honorary starter.

Birdie time!

As Woods’ tee time loomed, Jose Maria Olazabal quietly went out and made the first birdie of this year’s tournament.

Olazabal is a two-time Masters champion and is playing the tournament for the 33rd time. His approach on the par-4 opening hole settled along the right side of the green, and he rolled in the putt.

From way downtown

Padraig Harrington's putter was in good form early, as he drained a 67-footer to remain co-leader.

Woods is back!

Woods took to the course with a fan or two on hand to watch. Here's his first hole, which ended with a par.

Harry situation

While all eyes were on Woods, Harry Higgs cruised to the top of the leaderboard, notching four early birdies. 

"He's a magician"

Cameron Smith showed off his short game with a sweet chip on No. 5.

Eagle time

Shane Lowry got in on the chip-in action, too!

Just missed

Woods was walking in this birdie putt on No. 5, but it just lipped out.

It doesn't get much better

How about a hole-out eagle from Joaquin Niemann to give him a share of the lead?

This came after the 23-year-old phenom had consecutive birdies.

Former champ is in the hunt

Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champ, made a move for the lead on No. 13.

Keeping the pressure on

Smith continued to rise, moving into a tie for the lead as he worked his way through Amen Corner.

Checking in on Tiger

Woods remained in the hunt through the first round, and with approach shots like this, he showed no signs of slowing down.

Cam is the man

Many pegged Smith as a potential contender heading into the tournament, and Thursday's action showed why. 

Smith was the first to reach 4 under, getting there with a birdie on the par-4 14th. Smith was 2 over after four holes, then played his next 10 in 6 under — jump-starting with back-to-back birdies to close his front side.

After 16 holes, he held a two-stroke lead at 6 under.

Hear the roar

Woods nailed a birdie on No. 16, too, offering up a calm, cool fist pump as he moved to 1 under.

Strong return for Tiger

Considering all he's gone through over the last year-plus, Woods' first-round 71 has to be deemed impressive. He finished with a par on 18 and walked off to a roar from the crowd.

Coming for the crown

Dustin Johnson, who won the Masters in 2020, joined Smith atop the leaderboard after this incredible shot:

In the hunt

Elsewhere, Jordan Spieth — the 2015 Masters champion — ended his first nine at 1 over par, capped off with a smooth birdie.

Crowded at the top

Im, who began the day with three consecutive birdies, drained an eagle on No. 13 to join Smith and Johnson at the top of the leaderboard at 4 under par.

Taking over

Then, Im followed that up with another birdie on No. 15 to take a solo lead as the first day came to a close.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.