Incredible scenes. The camera hoists high above the first tee, showing us the thousands who are gathered around.

Everyone lucky enough to be there cheers as loud as they can, giving Woods one heck of an ovation as he saunters - with a hint of a limp - down the fairway.

Silence as Tiger pegs up. The stillness ends with a huge roar when his name is called.

"Come on Tiger, smoke one," says commentator Butch Harmon, who used to coach Woods.

Uh oh. The grimace tells us Tiger isn't happy. In the bunker?

Image source, Getty Images

Does Tiger feel nerves? Rarely seems like it. But the gum is being chomped a little bit harder as he visualises his opening tee shot and has a gentle swing of the driver.

Should be a relaxed grouping for the American, who is playing alongside Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann.

How are their nerves?!

Tiger Woods is about tee off in the Masters.

Repeat: Tiger Woods is about tee off in the Masters.

Almost time. Tiger Woods' name is called and he marches from the putting green to the first tee.

The five-time champion didn't think this would happen again when he was lying in a hospital bed 14 months ago.

We didn't think this would happen again up until he confirmed on Tuesday his intention to play.

But here we are. Who knows what will happen. Whatever pans out, it is fantastic to see the game's preeminent player and greatest star back on the course.

It's going to be fun to watch...

Image source, Getty Images

Tiger Woods is no stranger to playing through pain and his biggest challenge this week will be walking round a course with more undulations than your standard rollercoaster.

He famously triumphed at the 2008 US Open despite having a double stress fracture in his left leg and needing an operation on his ACL.

He underwent several operations on his back before fusion surgery in 2017 finally sorted his that issue

And he has previously said numerous back and leg injuries over his career have left him with "pain each and every day".

The 46-year-old has made 23 career starts in the Masters, winning it five times, finishing in the top 10 on 14 occasions and missing just one cut, as an amateur in 1996.

Migliozzi has now been joined by Min Woo Lee (5) and Harry Higgs (4) at the top of the very early Masters leaderboard.

They've all made three birdies and a bogey with this front nine providing a lot of early chances to pick up shots it seems.

England's Paul Casey is a non-starter at the Masters. The Englishman is supposed to be playing with Players Championship winner Cameron Smith and 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.

But only Smith and DeChambeau's names are on the scoreboard that accompanies the players round the course.

Casey, who finished third after a terrific tussle with Smith at Sawgrass last month, has been struggling with back problems and pulled out of the recent WGC Match Play.

He was due out 15:53 BST. He played in the par-three tournament on Wednesday but has clearly tweaked something.

Image source, Getty Images

Tiger Woods reckons lot of folks following him around earlier this week were only doing so to catch a glimpse of Fred Couples.

Who'd have thought the 1992 Masters champion would be the biggest show in town.

TEN MINUTES UNTIL TIGER TIME!

Whatever you're doing, stop.

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew: They say the Masters really doesn’t start until the back-nine on Sunday, but this year it will well and truly start at 16:04 BST when Mr Eldrick Tont 'Tiger' Woods struts onto the first tee.

Yes, OK, it's very early, but still, Italian Guido Migliozzi will be delighted to the leading The Masters after making a birdie on the par three sixth hole.

Migliozzi is making his debut at Augusta but already has a T4 finish in a major at last year's US Open, and now he's hit three birdies in six holes showing that scoring conditions are good early on.

One or two floral numbers on the course today.

But American Jason Kokrak has probably pulled one out of the bag with this shirt, albeit he has started his day with a bogey at the first.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Tiger-watch: He's on the range.

Half-wedges are getting him in the groove. Steady backswing to 90 degrees, firm downswing, clean hit and neat follow-through.

Metronomic.

Oh, and the black roll neck is off and reveals an azalea-coloured polo shirt. Symbolic?

Spare a thought for Jose Maria Olazabal.

Birdie, bogey, par, bogey, bogey, double bogey, par, bogey. The two-time champion is having one of those days.

Two of the old stagers, Fred Couples and Larry Mize are dropping back a bit.

Couples served up a bewildered look after skirting off to the left of the fourth green and was none too happy when his bogey putt rolled all the way round the cup and somehow stayed up.

He then leaves his approach into the fifth well short and can't get down in two putts to save par.

Mize, who won the 1987 Masters in unforgettable fashion by chipping in from 140 feet on the 11th hole, started with three straight pars but drops shots on the fourth and fifth to fall to two under.

Guess who's back? Na-na-na-naaaa - it's Tiger Woods.

The five-time champion has arrived at Augusta and is knocking a few balls on the putting green. Woods goes out in less than an hour.

Rows of patrons - three or four deep - are watching from behind the rope.

Game-face update? More focus than a camera and more serious than a judge.

And how about this for an omen...

Magnificent from Padraig Harrington. He has saved par from downtown and gets a deserved roar of approval from the patrons that reverberates around the course.

Padraig Harrington hits a snag on the fifth after leaving himself a long putt (43 feet) for birdie and seeing it come up well short.

The Irishman settles for a bogey and is then in a spot of bother on the sixth, heading right off the tee and then seeing a chip and run scoot across the green to 67 feet.

Guido Migliozzi's putter is running red hot.

The Italian sinks a tricky nine footer for birdie on the second and then finds the heart of the cuo from a similar distance on the third for consecutive birdies.

The 25-year-old, who is making his Masters debut finds that things don't always run smoothly on the fourth mind, watching his tee shot disappear into the sand to contribute to a bogey four.