Tiger Woods has navigated Amen Corner, and through the first 13 holes of his opening round, he still has yet to card a bogey. The No. 1 player in the world is 3-under, and three shots off the lead held by Marc Leishman.
Tiger Woods moves to 3-under, tied for 3rd on Masters leaderboard
Tiger emerges from Amen Corner in a tie for third place, picking up another birdie on the par-5 13th.
After some misses off the tee early, Tiger has played a clean nine-hole stretch, moving into the red and picking up birdies at the two par-5s (Nos. 8 and 13). He started the second nine with a basic par at No. 10, putting his drive down the hill, and an approach shot in the center of the green for an easy two putts. At the start of Amen Corner, he needed to drain a four-foot putt to save par, and he had little trouble putting the slight wobbler in the middle of the cup. The 11th is always a potential blow-up hole, but Tiger has encountered little trouble since the first five holes.
The smooth ride continued on No. 12, with Woods sending his tee shot high over the flagstick at the iconic par-3. The ball stuck right at the back of the green, leaving a makeable 12-foot birdie putt. Woods missed it on the edge, but he walked away with another satisfying par. That set up the chance at No. 13, a par-5 he’s owned throughout his career.
Tiger is 41-under par on the 13th hole, the best score of any hole on the course throughout his career. After a drive through the fairway on the dogleg left 13th, Woods safely put his second shot on the back left side of the green. He was opposite the flagstick, but still had a shot for birdie with two putts. It’s a putting surface Woods knows better than any other on Tour, and he sent an expert lag up the left slope to leave the short birdie putt.
Tiger has one more par-5 left, the 15th. When he started hitting sand wedge into the green at No. 15, Augusta National initiated its “Tiger-proofing” efforts. It’s a longer hole now, but anything less than a birdie will still be a disappointment. With Woods now tied for third, here’s a snapshot of the current leaderboard, along with a few other notables:
| Score | Player | Thru |
| -6 | Marc Leishman | F |
| -4 | David Lynn | F |
| -3 | Tiger Woods | 13 |
| -3 | Jim Furyk | 15 |
| -3 | K.J. Choi | 16 |
| -2 | Justin Rose | F |
| -2 | Lee Westwood | F |
| -1 | Rory McIlroy | 2 |
| -1 | Rickie Fowler | 12 |
| -1 | Graeme McDowell | 16 |
| E | Phil Mickelson | 3 |
| 2 | Ian Poulter | 13 |
| 2 | Bubba Watson | 13 |
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