AUGUSTA, Ga. » With Jordan Spieth going low a couple of holes in front of Tiger Woods, it was only a matter of time before curiosity gave way to outright abandonment.

Woods began his Thursday round with the largest gallery by far, but by the time he made the turn at 1-over 37, many fans raced ahead to Amen Corner to see just how low the kid from Texas would go on the opening 18 of the 2015 Masters.

Spieth’s spectacular 8-under performance to lead four golfers tied for second by three shots reminded those following Woods of his heyday when course designers "Tiger-proofed" Augusta National to keep him from stuffing his closest with green jackets.

In 1997, Woods won his first Masters by a record 12 shots over runner-up Tom Kite and threatened to make this his own playground before yardage was added to specific holes to water down his advantage off the tee.

He still has four green jackets to his credit, but if he’s to win a fifth, he’ll have to deal with a pesky group of millennials led by Mr. Spieth from Big D. Granted, it’s only the first day and a lot of golf will be played over the next three rounds, but it’s clear Spieth is as good as anyone swinging the sticks.

Trying to prove finishing second to Bubba Watson in last year’s Masters was no fluke, the 21-year-old fired a flawless 4-under 32 on the front and another 4-under 32 on the back, including his lone bogey at the relatively easy par-5 15th. It took away from a solid performance by crowd favorite Ernie Els, who is tied for second at 5-under 67 with Jason Day, Justin Rose and Charley Hoffman.

Meanwhile, Woods struggled for most of the afternoon and early evening, needing up-and-downs on the first four holes of the back nine just to remain near even par. All three of his birdies came at the friendly par 5s and none of them was routine due to errant drives off the tee.

He managed a 5 at the par-5 15th after hitting his drive into the pine needles off the right side of the fairway, prompting, "You dumb-ass" from Woods as he watched it sail wide once more. The 14-time major winner acknowledged the crowd from time to time, even saying "yep" to a 12-year-old boy positioned by the ropes at the seventh after he said, "Go Tiger."

Woods seemed to solve his yips around the green that forced a two-month sabbatical from the PGA Tour. He hit a lot of shots to the right off the tee, a problem he has faced for much of his career en route to a ho-hum 1-over 73 that left him nine shots off Spieth’s blistering pace.

Woods’ challenge in the second round is surviving the cut and playing through to the weekend, a goal many observers felt was more realistic coming in than being among the leaders on Sunday. Barring some amazing golf starting on Friday, he’s more likely to finish back in the pack than in the top 10. He ended Thursday’s round tied for 41st and is sitting just above the cutline with the top 50 and ties or those within 10 shots of the lead playing on.

He was philosophical about his performance afterward, but saw some positive numbers on a card that produced three birdies, four bogeys and 11 pars. He avoided any big numbers and still has a chance for a good performance considering how little he has played in 2015.

But that’s a tough result for the 39-year-old Woods to face entering the twilight of a stellar career. At this point, there are just too many good golfers out here who are better than he is, starting with Spieth, Day and Rory McIlroy, who is looking to complete a career grand slam with a win here at the ripe, old age of 25.

The end game is near for Woods with the youngsters bringing him closer still to that reality with every passing major. It’s that way in all sports, golf being no exception.

AT THE MASTERS
Sports editor Paul Arnett provides his insight of the action throughout the tournament.

FIRST-ROUND SCORES