Tiger Woods returned to the golf at the Masters in Augusta of Georgia on Thursday with a solid start.

Woods shot a couple of pars then a birdie at the third hole in his debut after the sex scandal months ago in November.

Tom Watson was the clubhouse leader after hitting a 5-under-par 67 but all the focus was on Woods, who was back in competitive action in the wake of numerous extramarital affairs.

Woods received a big ovation from the Augusta National crowd before he teed off at the first. The four-time Masters champion hit his drive onto the fairway and put his second shot within about 15 feet of the cup, but his birdie attempt curled just wide.

Woods took another par at No. 2, knocking his second shot over the green, against the edge of a bunker. A high wedge didn't spin back as much as he would have liked, and a testing downhill putt for birdie wasn't close.

But he bounced back at No. 3, the shortest par-4 hole on the course. Woods knocked his second shot to five feet and rolled in the birdie putt.

Woods was in the next-to-last group, playing with K.J. Choi and Matt Kuchar.

The 60-year-old Watson, who nearly became the oldest major winner in golf history at last year's British Open, showed that wasn't a fluke. He grabbed the clubhouse lead with a 5-under-par 67, tying his best round at Augusta. The last time he did it was 20 years ago.