Tiger Woods’ eight-month-long absence from competitive golf finally ended at the ongoing Hero World Challenge. This was a moment to savor for all golf fans. Although the master was nowhere near the top of the leaderboard, after the first day of the tournament, it was still special.

The bigger question about Woods’ comeback announcement was whether he was perfectly fine or not to walk the rigorous 72 holes or not. Though the golfer did clear the air around his health, the new picture from the tournament, tells a different story.  Day One attested to the rustiness in Woods’ golf, something that the 15-time Major winner himself had predicted at the pre-event press conference.

He shot 3-over 75, but that was pretty incidental. The focus was on his fitness. A couple of videos posted by PGA Tour’s staff writer Paul Hodowanic showed that the 47-year-old wasn’t bending his knees at all while playing. He wasn’t even reading his putts bending.

All said and done, Woods still managed 326 yards with his first tee shot at Albany Golf Club. Before the event, the PGA Tour pro spoke about being pain-free. But there was a tinge of apprehension as well.

Woods’ suffered a near-fatal car accident in 2021. His appearance on the Tour has been pretty limited since. In fact, he played only in five Tour events over the last couple of years. Back in April, he had to quit midway at the Masters due to the injuries.

Read more: Tiger Woods Is Ready to Bring His A-Game at the Hero World Challenge; Are You?

Despite the hardships he has been through, the 15X major champion decided to persevere. He had undergone a lot of surgeries in the past two years to make him better and heal from the injuries of his accident.

What are some of the surgeries that Tiger Woods has been through?

He underwent a subtalar joint fusion surgery in New York after the Masters and as per cost.sidecarhealth.com, it accounted for $23,537. The surgery was about stiffening the joint under the ankle joint.

Before that, Woods underwent anterior lumbar interbody fusion and as per mdsave.com, the estimated national average for this is $97,921. Woods had to undergo back surgeries several times to treat his chronic back spasms and sciatic pain.

It will sure be interesting to see how the 5X Masters winner performs at his own event, and how his health improves in the future. He is also to compete in the upcoming PNC Championship with his son Charlie Woods.

Watch this story: Is Tiger Woods Making Use Of Any Medical Aid After His Subtalar Fusion?