Woods has started just three events since August 2015 and withdrew from his most recent tournament in February in Dubai after an opening 77.

The 14-time major winner subsequently underwent spinal fusion surgery in April, his fourth back operation in the space of three years, but for the second year in succession has returned to action in the Bahamas.

Former world number one Woods is currently ranked 1,199th and began the week a 40/1 outsider in the 18-man field, in what is not an official PGA Tour event but does carry significant world ranking points.

And those odds looked somewhat generous as Woods carded an opening 69 at Albany to lie three shots off the lead held by European number one Tommy Fleetwood.

"For me I thought I did great," Woods told the Golf Channel. "I hadn't played in a while after some of the difficulties I've been through.

"To come out here and score like I did, that was nice. It was fun to get out there and actually be part of a scorecard again.

"I didn't know what I could do. I've been playing a lot of holes at home but it's a little different when you've got to tee it up in a tournament.

"I had a lot of adrenalin going there. I was hitting the ball a little bit longer than I normally do and had to dial it back a little bit. Those are the internal struggles I haven't been through as a player for a while.

""It was not only nice to get that first round out of the way, but I'm only three shots out of the lead."