Tiger Woods is back.

The star golfer made his first appearance in a tournament since pulling out of the Masters in April at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on Thursday, shooting a 3-over 75.

It was hardly vintage Tiger and he found himself in 18th place out of 20 golfers following the opening round.

But for most golf fans, just having him back on the course was a welcome sight:

Woods was actually a stroke under par heading into No. 16, but a double-bogey on that hole and two bogeys to end the round quickly erased what had been an excellent afternoon up until that point.

It also probably made it highly unlikely he'd keep pace with the leaders Brian Harman and Tony Finau, who each shot 5 under. But Thursday wasn't about winning so much as it was seeing if Woods could play pain free after his longstanding leg and ankle issues.

"I was rusty. I didn't have my feels," he acknowledged after the round. "Conditions were tough early. I kinda hung through there and I did not finish off my round the way I needed to. And consequently, it kinda went sideways at the end."

As for where he was hurting after the game, Woods answered pretty much everywhere.

"My leg, my back, my neck," he said. "Just from playing, hitting shots. Trying to hold off shots. It's just different at game speed, too. Game speed a lot different from at-home speed."

It's hard to imagine that Woods will ever get back to the form he showed in his prime years, when he was one of the most successful and accomplished players the sport has ever seen.

But having him back is good for the sport. Thursday didn't end the way he would have wanted, but it was a good start nonetheless.