Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times
DUBLIN, Ohio — Tuesday morning, in his first appearance at a PGA Tour event in five months, Tiger Woods hit a majestic iron shot during a practice round that soared toward an elevated green 250 yards away. When the ball deftly skirted bunkers protecting the putting surface and settled eight feet from the 15th hole, one person among the handful of security officers, volunteers and media members watching Woods clapped his hands.
As the faintest possible applause pierced the stillness at the Muirfield Village Golf Club, home to this week’s Memorial Tournament, Woods seemed uncomfortable, or startled.