You can't win The Masters on the first day with a great round, but you certainly can lose it with a bad one. In fact, since 2005, only twice has the winner come back after finishing outside of the top 10 on the first day. Both times it was Tiger Woods, who did so when he won The Masters in 2005 and 2019.

Through his first 13 holes, though, Tiger Woods is carding a +3 at The Masters, already ten strokes behind Viktor Hovland who sits at -7 through 14 holes. If Woods were to miraculously manage to win, it would be the biggest comeback after 18 holes in the history of The Masters—no golfer has ever come back from bigger than a seven shot deficit after the first day, which Woods did in 2005.

Still, it's ultimately unsurprising that Woods is struggling; it's unfair to expect a 47 year-old on a severely injured leg to compete with the best golfers in the world, even if it's Tiger Woods. At last year's Masters, Woods limped—literally and figuratively—to a 47th place finish, shooting +13. In his last tournament, The Genesis Invitational, Woods finished tied for 45th. As sad as it is, the tournament-winning version of Woods is gone; his leg is so messed up that even walking the course is a massive accomplishment.

In this sense, it's both expected and totally natural that he's diminished with age. There's no need to wait with bated breath for him to do the impossible. He should be celebrated for playing this long and even playing at all, without the pressure and scrutiny of wondering if he can actually win. It's time to give Tiger Woods the kindness of going out gracefully.