Tiger Woods has been a huge draw at the Masters this year, and even his fellow golfers are getting caught up in the story.
Cam Smith shot a 4-under 68 in the first round of the event on Thursday. He and Bryson DeChambeau played together as a twosome due to Paul Casey’s withdrawal. They were in the group ahead of Woods, and Smith admitted after the round that he did a fair amount of watching Tiger like a fan.
Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau played as a two-ball today after Paul Casey's WD, so there was plenty of waiting.
Luckily, they were a group in front of Tiger Woods.
Smith: "I almost felt like a patron out there at some points today. You can't not watch him; he's unreal."
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) April 7, 2022
“I almost felt like a patron out there at some points today. You can’t not watch him; he’s unreal,” Smith said via Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine.
Being just a group ahead of Tiger, and only having one fellow player in his group, allowed Smith the opportunity to soak in some of Woods’ round.
Tiger was playing in his first real event since suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash last year. He shot a 1-under 71 to finish the first round tied for 10th. That’s a nice round for anybody, let’s alone.
Woods ended up playing well enough on Friday to make his 22nd consecutive cut at the Masters. Smith shot 2-over on Friday but made the cut as well at 2-under for the tournament.
Smith may have been caught up in the story, but he didn’t let it affect his play on Thursday.
Photo: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
