The 15-time major winner is competing for the first time since withdrawing from the Masters due to injury in April.

In the Bahamas, he is tied for 16th on level par, 16 strokes behind leader Scottie Scheffler.

“I’m very pleasantly surprised at how I’ve recovered every day,” said Woods, a 47-year-old man.

“I still have the game; it’s whether the body can do it or not.”

His American colleague Scheffler, the world number one, leads England’s Matt Fitzpatrick by three strokes after both players fired seven-under rounds of 65.

Woods started Saturday with two bogeys before making birdies at the third, sixth, eighth, and ninth holes – the latter of which he got up and down from a greenside bunker.

On the back nine, he had two bogeys and a birdie, including a seven-foot par putt miss at the 18th.

“It could have been slightly better than the score suggests.” “I think I could have shot in the high 60s today,” said Woods, who shot 75 and 70 in the first two rounds.

Following the 2021 automobile accident that took him out of golf for nearly 14 months, Woods underwent ankle fusion surgery to manage post-traumatic arthritis.

He recently stated that he had “zero issues” with his ankle, but other injuries, particularly those to his back, persist.

Woods plans to play one tournament per month in 2024, and this event will help him plan his calendar for the following season.