Tiger Woods ended day one of the Masters on one-under par at the 13th hole, with  bad weather forcing a two-and-a-half hour delay at Augusta on Thursday.

Woods will be back out at 8am local time Friday morning to wrap up the final five holes before embarking on his second round.

Woods opened his 26th Masters with a birdie, igniting huge cheers at Augusta and overall, showed plenty to suggest he can compete this week.

But the weather delay is far from ideal for the 48-year-old and his creaking body, as he now faces playing 23 holes on Friday as the tournament schedule moves to stay on track.

Woods bogeyed the par-3 fourth after sailing his tee shot over the green, but he got the stroke back at the par-5 eighth with a two-putt birdie.

Tiger Woods ended day one of the Masters on one-under par at the 13th hole at Augusta

Woods will have to play 23 holes on Friday at The Masters in hopes of making the cut

After 13 holes, Woods is one-under par and is close to the cut line for the major tournament

It is Woods’ first appearance since withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational in February with flu-like symptoms, and his first major in a year.

Woods made the cut at last year’s Masters but withdrew before the end of the rain-interrupted third round, citing plantar fasciitis.

He underwent left ankle surgery later that month and has played very little competitive golf since.

The five-time Masters champion would break a record held by Gary Player and Fred Couples if he makes his 24th straight cut at Augusta this week.

The top 50 players and ties after 36 holes, plus anyone within 10 shots of the leader, will play the weekend.

LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau held the clubhouse lead on Thursday night on seven-under, a shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler. Danny Willett, the 2016 champion, was a surprise name tied fourth alongside Homa on four-under.

DeChambeau had his lowest start ever in a major, a clinical performance of power and putting, always a good recipe at Augusta National.

‘Trying to be the best golfer I can be,’ DeChambeau said. ‘I’m just in a place where I’m repeating a motion, trying to do the same thing over and over again.’

Scottie Scheffler is second after day No 1 at this year’s Masters tournament at six-under par

Bryson DeChambeau is the clubhouse leader after the first day at The Masters, at seven-under

He ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine, including a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th when his risky shot under a pine tree cleared the water fronting the green and left him 40 feet away.

‘It clipped the tree. I hit four pine needles rather than five, and it worked out perfectly,’ said DeChambeau, not entirely rid of his precise calculations.

Scheffler, meanwhile, carded a bogey-free 66 – his first ever at Augusta – and looked in typically impressive touch.

‘Any time you can get around this golf course bogey-free, you’re going to have a pretty good day out there,’ he said.