Tiger Woods in the Hunt at Pebble Beach Pro Am: Fan Reaction

Tiger Woods didn't play perfectly at one of his favorite courses in the United States. Yet he did well enough to keep things interesting at the 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Woods fired a 68, his first official round on American soil in 2012. The 4-under score was good enough to tie for 15th overall after finishing on the Spyglass Hill course. He is five strokes off the lead as Charlie Wi shot a 61 to finish the day at 9-under. Three golfers share the lead after the first round.

Woods certainly showed signs that he's back, even if he wasn't pretty doing it. The former number one made birdies on four of the course's five par five holes. At least the long game is back. Now he has to work on his putting and Woods will certainly stake a claim that he has returned to the ranks of the mighty.

The next round will feature teams on different courses and will scramble up the field. Getting his par-five holes will be a key at the Pebble Beach course later in the tournament. Woods had two bogeys on the first day.

For Woods to complete his comeback, he will have to win a tournament. He's in decent shape now with three more rounds to play. If he can stay consistent and not lose it on the final day, at least a top 10 is a possibility.

Like anyone recuperating from a devastating period in life, the comeback for golf's tiger will be gradual. He probably has to play more courses to get consistently better before Woods wins again. His middle-aged body has had surgeries and needed to come back from injury. As such, Woods had to re-learn how to swing a golf club.

Woods will win eventually. It's just a matter of time. If his Pebble Beach first round is any indication, Woods is on the right track. But predicting when he will make his return is much like awaiting the second coming. Jesus himself said no one will know when he will return to Earth. The same is true of Woods winning another "real" tournament. He'll win when he's ready to and not a moment before.

William Browning has covered sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network including golf and local golf courses in southwest Missouri. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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