Masters 2022 first round recap: Sungjae Im leads by 1 as Tiger Woods goes under par

UPDATES: Coverage of Friday's Masters round continues, follow along here.

The 86th Masters started Thursday and the intrigue couldn't be higher with the return of Tiger Woods – a five-time winner at Augusta National Golf Club who nearly saw his career end after a car crash – and full attendance for the first time since the start of COVID.

Woods, second only to Jack Nicklaus in Masters victories, is playing in his 23rd Masters. He said during Tuesday's practice round that he believes he can win. The hope is that he, along with the rest of the field, have that chance starting Thursday, as weather concerns linger.

Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, the first Japanese golfer to win the Masters, has been battling a neck injury but will be in the field. And Scottie Sheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, is seeking his first green jacket.

Masters cut line 2022: How many players make the cut, and what is the rule?

What time is Tiger Woods playing?:Full tee times for 2022 Masters Thursday and Friday rounds

Tiger tracker: Follow Tiger Woods' progress shot-by-shot

Casey Out: Paul Casey withdraws from 2022 Masters before first round

How to watch: 2022 Masters golf tournament first round viewing for television, live stream

Masters leaderboard: Follow here to see where every player is in the tournament

A Twitter List by jtullypbp

8 p.m. | Rory McIlroy closes Masters first round

Matthew Fitzpatrick sank a birdie putt to get to 1 under for the first round. He was one of 18 players to finish under par on the day, including Tiger Woods.

Rory McIlroy followed up bogeys on 14 and 16 with two pars and finished 1 over.

Sungjae Im leads the Masters after one round at 5 under par. Cameron Smith is a stroke behind at 4 under, with four others at 3 under.

7:40 p.m. | Will Zalatoris hits into trees, manages bogey to finish under par

Will Zalatoris clearly looked exasperated when his drive on 18 sailed right of the fairway among the trees. He overshot the green on his third shot but finished with a nice bogey putt to finish 1 under for the day.

He is one of 17 players under par for the first round.

7:10 p.m. | Dustin Johnson bogeys on 17 to fall into third

Dustin Johnson fell into a tie for third after a bogey on the par-4 17th. He is tied with Danny Willett, Joaquin Niemann and Scottie Scheffler at 3 under.

Patrick Cantlay had birdies on three of four holes, including Nos. 15 and 16, to pull into a four-way tie for seventh at 2 under.

6:50 p.m. | Sungjae Im nearly holes out from sand on 18, finishes first round in lead

Sungjae Im hit into a bunker to the right of the 18th green, but he nearly finished his opening round with a fantastic birdie. He settled for par to close in the lead at 5 under.

Cameron Smith closed his first round tied for second at 4 under with Dustin Johnson.

6:15 p.m. | Sungjae Im jumps into the lead

At 5 under, South Korean Sungjae Im has the lead through 15. Im finished tied for second at the 2020 Masters.

Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson are tied for second at 4 under.

4:30 p.m. | Tiger Woods finishes under par

Tiger Woods, in his comeback competitive round at Augusta National Golf Club, shot a 1-under 71 in the first round of the Masters. When he finished he was two shots back and tied for ninth.

4:15 p.m. | Cameron Smith stumbles to finish but finishes with lead

Cameron Smith finished his round with a double bogey at the par-4 18. He opened and closed his first round with double bogey, but still has a share of the lead after shooting 68.

3:45 p.m. | Tiger Woods makes a long birdie putt

Tiger Woods returns to 1-under with a 29 foot birdie putt on No. 16. He sits five shots back of leader Cameron Smith and tied for eighth.

3:15 p.m. | Cameron Smith takes Masters lead, Tiger Woods bogeys No. 14

Cameron Smith has the lead at the 86th Masters after birdie on the par-4 14th hole. Smith opened with a double-bogey but has had no bogeys since and six birdies to put him at 4-under.

Tiger Woods dropped a shot on No. 14 after an errant tee shot left him in the pines. He hit his second shot out of pine straw 198 yards just off the green to within 10 feet of the hole. He missed the putt though, and the bogey takes him to even through 14 holes.

2:50 p.m. | 5 lead Masters field at 3-under

2016 Masters Champion Danny Willett, Daniel Berger, Joaquin Nieman and Sungjae Im are tied for the lead at 3-under.

Willett grabbed a share of the lead after birdie on the par-5 15th.

Berger birdied holes 12, 13 and 14 for a total of six in the round.

Smith, who started the round with a double bogey, has holed 5 birdies, his last at No. 12 to move to 3-under.

Nieman shot a 4 on the par-5 13th hole for his fourth birdie of the day to grab a share of the lead.

Im birdied the first three holes. He finished tied for second after a 15-under-par tournament performance in his 2020 Masters debut.

2:20 p.m. | Sungjae Im birdies first 3 holes, takes Masters lead

Sungjae Im birdied the first three holes during Thursday's first round and is the leader at 3-under.

In his 2020 debut at the Masters, Im finished tied for second after a 15-under-par tournament performance.

1:45 p.m. | Tiger Woods has 9 holes remaining in first round of the Masters

Tiger Woods has completed the first nine holes of his comeback round at the Masters. So far, he’s competing with the field. He’s three shots back of the lead at even par. Playing partner Joaquin Niemann took the solo lead at -3 with a hole-out eagle at 9.

After making pars on his first five holes, Woods carded a tap-in birdie on No 7, a par 3 where his tee shot stopped within 3 feet of the pin. But his next shot was errant.

Woods’ tee shot on No. 7 was a 3-wood that moved right, then kicked toward the trees, and onto the pine straw. Woods then hit a low shot under the limbs, just short of green-fronting bunker. His pitch to the green put him within inches of the hole for a tap-in par save.

Trouble came at 8 though, as he misjudged a pitch after a layup, then took three more to get down for a bogey.

He pulled a drive into the trees right on 9, but saved par.

Tiger Woods' round in detail: A summary of every hole today

1:35 p.m. | Eagle and the lead at the 9th hole for Joaquin Niemann!

Joaquin Niemann, the 23-year-old from South Africa playing alongside Tiger Woods, holed out from the fairway on No. 9 to move to 3-under par for the tournament and into the lead.

Being in the same group as Woods means that Niemann's shot was seen by a huge crowd. He spun an approach iron back down the slope onto the middle tier of the green and into the hole.

1:25 p.m. | Tiger Woods bogies the 8th at Augusta

Tiger Woods had his first struggles of the day at the 8th hole. He misjudged a pitch after a layup, then took three more to get down for his first bogey. Woods is even par, two shots back of leaders Charl Schwarzel and Takumi Kanaya.

12:43 p.m.| Tiger Woods makes his first 2022 Masters birdie

After missing a couple birdie putts earlier in the round, Tiger Woods left his tee shot from the No. 6 tee just short of the hole.

He sank the putt for his first birdie of the tournament and a tie for second, at 1-under-par, with Joaquin Niemann, Adam Scott and Cameron Champ.

Harry Higgs and Talor Gooch are tied atop the leaderboard at 2-under.

12:35 p.m. | Tiger Woods even through 5 holes, Harry Higgs holds solo lead

Tiger Woods is at even par through five holes in his return to the Masters.

Woods had a birdie opportunity on the fifth hole but the ball lipped out of the cup.

Harry Higgs holds the lone lead after going 2-under-par through the first nine holes. Five other players, Talor Gooch, Daniel Berger, Joaquin Niemann, Adam Scott and Tony Finau, are under par and tied for second at 1-under.

11:45 a.m. | Tiger Woods even through 2 holes at Masters

Tiger Woods played the first two holes in Thursday's opening round at even par.

He had a birdie putt on No. 2 that just missed the cup.

Seven players, including Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood and Padraig Harrington were tied for the lead at 1-under-par.

11:10 a.m. | Tiger Woods has teed off No. 1 at the Masters

Tiger Woods teed off at 11:04 a.m., first in his group, followed by Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann. It has been more than 500 days since his last competitive round.

His first tee was going short of the bunker on the right side of the No. 1 fairway, 264 yards. Oosthuizen found the fairway, and fellow South American star Joaquin Niemann, hit into the bunker.

11:05 a.m. | Paul Casey has withdrawn from the Masters

The Englishman and Arizona State alum has a great track record at Augusta National, even though he hasn't won a green jacket.In 15 appearances, he has made the cut 11 times and grabbed eight top-25 finishes, including a fourth on 2016.

He was in the same grouping as Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, which just teed off.

10:45 a.m. | Tiger Woods is on the driving range

Tiger Woods was seen hitting balls at Augusta National's practice facility Thursday morning, in a warmup for his 11:04 a.m. tee time.

Woods is wearing pink for today's opening round. He will be paired with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann.

10:35 a.m. | First Masters round underway

The first round is underway at the 2022 Masters after tee times were delayed 30 minutes due to overnight weather.

Padraig Harrington, Harry Higgs, Guido Migliozzi and Min Woo Lee were the early leaders at 1-under-par.

Amateur Austin Greaser was even through 6 holes and tied for fourth.

Tiger Woods is scheduled to tee off at 11:04 a.m., along with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann. They'll be followed by defending Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas and reigning U.S. Amateur James Piot.

10:15 a.m. | Masters Tournament Round 1: By the numbers

All time lows: 71.41, 92 players, 2020

All time highs: 78.60, 52 players, 1936

Average score by champions: 69.82 (74 par or better)

Leaders average score: 67.20

Leading score: 60s (81 of 85 years)

No score higher than 4: Ben Hogan, 1956; Jack Nicklaus, 1965; Arnold Palmer, 1965; Gary Player, 1965; Charles Coody, 1971; Raymond Floyd, 1976; Tim Clark, 2009

9:00 a.m. | Sarazen's famous double eagle happened 85 years ago today

On April 7, 1935, Gene Sarazen scored a double eagle on No. 15, putting him into a tie for first place with Craig Wood. The shot would be dubbed the "shot heard 'around the world," and Sarazen went on to win his second green jacket in the ensuing playoff.

8:30 a.m. | Honorary starters hit ceremonial Masters tee shots

Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson struck ceremonial shots from the No. 1 tee at Augusta National to open the 86th Masters Tournament.

There’s a new king of the long drive contest.

In his first year as an honorary starter, Tom Watson – 14 years younger than Gary Player – outdrove the South African on Thursday morning.

“How far did you hit it, Gary?” Watson asked prior to hitting his drive.

“Not very far,” Player said. “I could hear it land.”

Player teed off first to kick off the 86th Masters Tournament.

When he addressed his ball, Watson shouted, “Aren’t you going to do a pushup?”

Player chuckled and then stated that he had already completed a workout before Tom had woken up.

"I'm going to do this without falling over," six-time Masters champion Nicklaus quipped before hitting his show down the fairway.

Prior to teeing off, Watson asked Chairman Fred Ridley if he could address the crowd.

The two-time Masters winner spoke of the privilege of joining Nicklaus and Player.

“To be a part of this thing, I’m truly humbled,” Watson said.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Ridley declared, "The 86th Masters Tournament is officially underway."

– Doug Stutsman

8:00 a.m. | Course changes at Augusta National could affect Masters play

Augusta National measures a whopping 7,510 yards for the 2022 Masters.

The course was 6,700 yards for the first Masters in 1934 and was only lengthened by 285 yards over the following 67 years. It was stretched to 7,270 before the 2002 tournament, after undergoing "Tigerproofing."

For the 2022 Masters, new tee boxes on holes 11, 15 and 18 provide new angles and will force decisions from players trying to close strong.

7:30 a.m. | Latest Masters weather forecast

After two days of rain and storm warnings chasing players off the course, and wet conditions delaying today's start by 30 minutes, it looks like the skies might clear Thursday morning for the Masters Tournament.

The National Weather Service forecast for today is a chance of showers, mainly before 7 a.m., and mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing. A high temperature will be around 73 with west wind 7 to 15 mph. Chance of rain is 30%.

7:00 a.m. | Masters Tournament ceremonial tee shots face delay

Honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson will strike ceremonial tee shots from the No. 1 tee to open the 86th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. The ceremony, like the tournament, will face a minor delay. The usual 7:40 a.m. start is pushed back to 8:15 a.m.

Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley announced the addition of Watson in January.

Lee Elder, the first Black player to compete in the Masters in 1975, joined Nicklaus and Player in 2021. Elder died in November.

The tradition began in 1963 and few have been called to serve:

Jock Hutchison (1963-1973)

Fred McLeod (1963-1976)

Byron Nelson (1981-2001, non-consecutive)

Gene Sarazen (1981-1999)

Ken Venturi (1983)

Sam Snead (1984-2002)

Arnold Palmer (2007-2016)

Jack Nicklaus (2010-present)

Gary Player (2012-present)

Lee Elder (2021)

6:30 a.m. | Masters 2022 first round faces minor delay

Today's PGA, international and amateur stars tee off in the Masters Tournament starting at 8:30 a.m. with the last player in, J.J. Spaun, who won the Valero Texas Open on Sunday to qualify, and Jose Maria Olazabal, the 1994 and 1999 Masters champion.

Tiger Woods, a five-time champion, goes off at 11:04 a.m. along with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann, who are both seeking their first green jacket.

Round 1 & 2 Groupings: Full tee times for 2022 Masters Thursday and Friday rounds

Here are some the most-anticipated groupings for the opening round of the 86th Masters Tournament on Thursday.

11:04 a.m.: Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen, Joaquin Niemann

11:15 a.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, James Piot

11:26 a.m.: Adam Scott, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau.

2 p.m.: Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel, Collin Morikawa

2:11 p.m.: Will Zalatoris, Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm.

2:22 p.m.: Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele.

The USA TODAY Network's David Westin, Cameron DaSilva, Fletcher Page and Dan Spears contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Masters 2022: Look back at Tiger Woods' first round Thursday