Woods in second-last group for Masters

The sporting world will have to wait until 1.42pm on Thursday – 6.42pm Irish time – to see the first shot that Tiger Woods has hit in competition for 144 days.

Woods, out of golf since his life was turned upside down by a sex scandal at the end of November, has been put in the penultimate group for the opening round of The Masters at Augusta.

The world number one will tee off with fellow American Matt Kuchar and Korean KJ Choi, both of whom should prepare themselves for one of the toughest day’s work they have ever had.

Kuchar is not that well-known, but he has played with Woods at Augusta before.

As US Amateur champion in 1997 he earned an invitation to the following year’s Masters and, as per tradition, was paired with the defending champion.

That happened to be Woods, who the previous April won his very first major as a professional by an astonishing 12 shots and with a record 18-under-par total.

Kuchar did well on that occasion. He opened with a level par 72, made the halfway cut and finished joint 21st.

Woods scored only one better that first day and eventually tied for eighth place.

Kuchar, now 31 and with two US Tour wins to his name, also played the tournament in 1999 and 2002, but never could have expected his first round back to be in the company of the player who is taking his first steps on the comeback trail.

Former power-lifter Choi has had more success in America than any other Asian male golfer, winning seven Tour titles. He is in his eighth Masters and came third in 2004.

While they digested the prospect, many other star names were almost certainly breathing a sigh of relief that they had been kept apart from Woods on this occasion.

“It always makes it harder to get a big draw,” said Padraig Harrington, who is two groups ahead of Woods with Open champion Stewart Cink and rising South African star Charl Schwartzel.

“But then again you have to accept that if you want to be contending you’re going to have those draws and deal with it.

“I’m sure some guy playing with me in the Irish PGA feels the same way.”

Harrington also said that if he was in Woods’ position – that is, returning from a break of almost five months – he would be “a hopeless wreck”.

Yet he gives Woods a real chance of being a factor come Sunday – and rightly pointed out that he is the clear favourite for the title.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was contending, but I just don’t know. No matter how he looks or what he says you don’t know fully how this is affecting him inside and how it’s affecting his golf.

“People react differently, but you have to remember that Tiger, of all the competitive players, has a good ability to bring his game from the practice range to the golf course.

“I have a very poor ability to do that. That’s why it couldn’t work for me. It’s not ideal and I’m sure he doesn’t think it’s ideal either. He would have liked to have played a little bit, but he’s still capable.”

Play starts at 7.40am local time with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus hitting ceremonial opening drives and then retiring. It is the first time Nicklaus has acted as an honorary starter.

Ian Woosnam, winner in 1991 and the only Welsh player in the field, is the first European into action at 8.12am.

World number four Lee Westwood plays at 9.40am with 2003 champion Mike Weir and British amateur champion Matteo Manassero, the 16-year-old who becomes the youngest competitor in Masters history.

Paul Casey is in the following group with another Italian, Francesco Molinari, and American Chad Campbell, while 20-year-old Rory McIlroy is out at 12.36pm alongside Colombian Camilo Villegas and 49-year-old Kenny Perry, who last April lost a play-off to Angel Cabrera when bidding to become the oldest major winner ever.

Cabrera, of course, is with the current US Amateur champion, 18-year-old Korean Byeong-hun An, and Jim Furyk at 10.24am.

On the second official day of practice Woods played with close friend Mark O’Meara. Having held his 35-minute press conference he did not stop to talk to reporters about how it went, but did take time out to hug Irish entrepreneurs Dermot Desmond and JP McManus just outside the clubhouse.