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Early on in his first round at the Hero World Challenge on Thursday, Tiger Woods whipped the golf world into a frenzy that made Patrick Reed's antics at the Ryder Cup earlier this year seem tame and quiet. Woods birdied four of his first eight holes and hit iron shots that made us all think outrageously optimistic thoughts about his future in the sport.

Then reality set in. Woods played his final 10 holes in 5 over including two double bogeys in his final three holes and finished with a 1-over 73 in his first competitive round in over a year. He said the round turned on his bogeys at Nos. 9 and 11, both par 5s.

"I didn't play the par 5s well in the middle of the round and consequently got it going the wrong way," Woods told Golf Channel. "If you're driving it great here, you can take advantage of this golf course. I hit the ball in three bushes and had a water ball today. It could have been something really good today. I got off to a nice solid start and then made a few mistakes there."

Woods did not drive it well. He only hit a handful of fairways (six of 13 total) and more often than not was in the shrubbery or sandy dunes on the left edge of the spacious freeways going from tee to green. It was the one part of his game that looked particularly poor, and it meant he was using all manner of stances and swings just to advance the ball to the greens. At one point, he had to play a ball backwards down the fairway because he could not advance it.

"I made some awkward shots ..." Woods told to Golf Channel. "Overall, I felt pretty good and am looking forward to another three rounds."

Woods putted well, chipped nicely (save one flub on the par-5 ninth) and was brilliant at times with his iron play. Not brilliant for having been off for 15 months or brilliant for just having returned from back surgery. Just flat-out brilliant. His play on the front nine was so good it caused Vegas to lower his odds for the 2017 Masters from 40-1 to 25-1. After nine holes!

This 73, while disappointing at the end as Woods shot 40 on the back nine, was a wild success for a few reasons. First, Woods' swing looked crisp, short and smooth. He wasn't trying to carry the ball 900 yards off the tee. He looked very much in control of his rhythm and his game.

He has never been a very good driver of the golf ball, but his mistakes on Thursday are easily fixed. A couple of poor drives here and a pulled shot there. This was not the egregious chipping display we saw at this tournament two years ago and then again at the Phoenix Open a few months later. Woods looked ... fine. If you're playing the long game, and we all should be (including Tiger), then Thursday was perfect.

He showed flashes of the greatness that can still overflow from him at times, and more importantly, there was no back-grabbing or limping to the finish. Woods looked strong and fit in his return. Forget the score, this is all that matters when you're looking at the next decade.

"I think [I was most excited about] how quickly I fell into the competitive flow," Woods told Golf Channel. "I felt the feel of the round. By the time I hit my tee shot on the second hole, I had already gotten into the flow of the round. For me, when I've taken layoffs and taken breaks, it's how quickly I can find the feel for the round. To take off 15-16 months and feel that on the second hole is nice."

The reality here for Woods is that this final chapter in a career full of genius will be his most difficult mentally -- more difficult than winning three majors in a season, more difficult than winning the U.S. Open on one leg, more difficult than even coming back after a 15-month layoff.

Because to be great at age 40, Woods is going to have be even more mentally engaged and tough than he has ever been. The body looked good on Thursday. The back held and the swing was on point for much of the round. It betrayed him late, though, and that's when Woods used to be at his best -- scrambling and clawing his way to pars and possibly bogeys. He couldn't do that at an easy course on Thursday.

It is clear that the shot-making still exists. He proved that in the first eight holes. Now the question is whether he can stay engaged with a full four rounds. That gets harder as you get older. Woods' road will be a long one, and we will hear the word "process" more times than Sam Hinkie has ever even thought of saying it.

The first step, though? It's complete, and it was great.