Tiger Woods made an impressive return to golf yesterday, having not played professionally since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. 

The 41-year-old has been plagued by back injuries in recent years but has undergone a number of major surgeries to help him return to fitness. 

After coming in three-under-par on the opening day of the Hero World Challenge 2017 in the Bahamas, Woods said it was “fun” to be back.

Woods, who tees off alongside Henrik Stenson at 4.43pm GMT (11.43am ET) this afternoon, said: "I've been playing a lot of holes at home but it's different when you are in a tournament. I had a lot of adrenaline going and I had to dial it back a bit.

"Those are the internal struggles I haven't been through in a while. To come out here and score like I did was nice. It was fun to be part of a scorecard again."

The former world No 1 has plummeted down the World Golf Rankings since his last tournament win in 2013, but remains among the richest athletes in the world. 

What is Tiger Woods’ net worth?

Woods is worth an estimated £27.5million ($37.1million), according to Forbes’ 2017 list of the highest paid athletes in the world. 

His net worth was broken down as £80,000 ($107,000) in salary and winnings and an eye-watering £27.4million ($37million) from sponsorship deals and endorsements. 

The golfer may have slipped down the golf rankings, but he is still the third best-payed golfer on the planet - beaten only by Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson. 

Woods also has the highest income per shot ratio of any golfer. 

A study carried out by sports and fitness site Noob Norm discovered that Woods earns an average of £950 ($1,282) every time he hits the ball. 

Noob Norm co-founder David McSweeney said: “It’s probably no surprise that the golfer with the highest average earnings per shot over the course of his career is Tiger Woods. 

“Tiger’s average earnings per shot of $1,282 puts him way ahead of the current top 10. His best year was 2008, when he earned a crazy $4,191 per shot.”

Woods was splashed over the tabloids in 2009 when it was revealed that he had a number of extramarital affairs, though sponsors remain keen to partner with the star. 

He has recently secured deals with TaylorMade, Bridgestone and Monster Energy over the past 12 months, and already has endorsements from Hero MotoCorp, Kowa, Full Swing and Upper Deck.

Forbes has calculated that Woods has earned a remarkable £1.04billion ($1.4billion) over his career, with just 10 per cent coming from prize money. 

Only a handful of sportspeople, including Michael Schumacher, Michael Jordon and fellow-golfer Jack Nicklaus have ever broken the billionaire barrier. 

Tiger Woods’ career stats

Woods is one of the most successful golfers of all time, having won a staggering 14 major titles championships since turning pro in 1996.

The 41-year-old was ranked world No 1 for a record-breaking 683 weeks and has been awarded the PGA Player of the Year 11 times - more than any other player. 

Tiger Woods’ major wins

Masters Tournament: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005

US Open: 2000, 2002, 2008

The Open Championship: 2000, 2005, 2006