Hero World Challenge 2017: Time, TV schedule for Tiger Woods on Friday

A 3-under-par 69 put Big Cat squarely in contention after day one, but he’ll have major work to do to keep pace with hot stars like Tommy Fleetwood & Rickie Fowler.

If you bought into the hype surrounding Tiger Woods’ return to professional golf, you’re off to a good start. The problem? Golf tournaments last four rounds, and we’re still just getting started

After a such a long layoff, just surviving and completing the opening round intact would’ve been a mild success for Big Cat on Thursday afternoon. But for the most part, the 14-time major winner lived up to the hype that had been building in the weeks ahead of his return. A 3-under-par 69 has Woods three shots off the lead and squarely in contention among a field of 18 of the world’s best players at the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

Woods was strong off the tee, pure enough with the irons, and rolling the ball on the greens as the usual Tiger we’ve come to know over the past two decades. He played dead-even with PGA Tour Player of the Year Justin Thomas nearly all day, driving it past his long-hitting, younger counterpart on a number of occasions. But, perhaps most importantly from Thursday afternoon? There weren’t any indications that golf’s biggest star was playing through pain. The swing videos and clips we’d seen in recent weeks looked real, and it seems as if Woods’ long-maligned lower back is no longer pieced together with scotch tape and chewing gum.

But now Woods will put that to the test.

One thing to watch for on Friday? Tiger’s chipping and wedge work around the greens wasn’t great on Saturday, and it’s a spot where the star developed some major mental blocks in early 2015. 3-under-69 is still 3-under-69, and Thursday gets an ‘A’ grade for his return -- but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on as the rounds continue in the Bahamas.

Cat gets underway alongside Henrik Stenson at 11:43am ET.

Friday’s second round coverage (All times ET)

Television:

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Golf Channel pregame show with coverage of Tiger's start

12:30 to 4:30 p.m. — Golf Channel

Replayed from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET.

Online streams:

11:30 to 4:30 p.m. — Golf Channel simulcast stream, fuboTV

Radio:

12:30 to 4:30 p.m. — PGA Tour Radio on Sirius-XM (Ch. 92/208 and streamed here)