Half a lifetime ago, Tiger Woods won the duel of legend at Valhalla Golf Club. 24 years later, he’s back but Woods is far from the young hotshot who outbattled journeyman Bob May.

At the 106th PGA Championship, his new Sun Day Red has replaced the baggy pants. A goatee has replaced the clean-shaven fresh face of a 24-year-old. And the youthful pep and finger-pointing have been replaced with a body riddled with aches and pains.

Yet, the sea of spectators lining the fairways to snatch a glimpse of the 15-time major winner is just as big – even for a round of one-over 72.

Woods may be a diminished threat to the major title compared to the Big Cat who was prowling towards the ‘Tiger Slam’ back in 2000 but he was still the man everyone wanted to see on Thursday.

The only crowds to possibly rival the swarm surrounding Woods were those around the groups either side of him – with hometown hero Justin Thomas and leader Xander Schauffele ahead of him and Rory McIlroy behind.

Tiger Woods carded a one-over 72 in the opening round of the PGA Championship Thursday

24 years ago, the 15-time major winner won the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club

The talk surrounding Woods in the buildup this week was of the ceaseless PGA Tour-PIF negotiations and the Ryder Cup captaincy but as he stood on the tenth tee – his first hole – alongside Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley Thursday morning, his and the thousands of fans’ focus was purely on his once-great game and whether he could produce it again.

With a pair of bogeys to negate his sole birdie through his opening nine holes, it was mainly steady until the crowds were finally rewarded for trudging over the punishing slopes of Valhalla in the baking Louisville heat.

On his back nine, Woods looked set to deliver a finale reminiscent of his glory days, with birdies at the third and seventh.

Yet, he had talked of a lack of sharpness in his game earlier in the week and it reared its ugly head with unforced errors at the par-three eighth and the ninth, the final holes of Woods’ opening round.

Back-to-back three-putts swiftly crushed all the positive momentum – a tale he’s become all too familiar with.

It wasn’t the implosion of the third round at Augusta but it was still pretty nondescript – nothing compared to the vintage stuff.

Woods finished his round with a pair of unforced errors at the eighth and ninths holes

Back-to-back three-putts swiftly crushed all positive momentum from his opening round

The vintage stuff of 2000 came at the peak of his prowess. Woods had arrived at Valhalla seemingly indestructible, on an unstoppable track racing towards soundly cementing himself as the greatest player in history.

The PGA Championship at Valhalla marked only his fifth major victory but already at that point it seemed inevitable that he would catch Jack Nicklaus.

He was coming off victories at the US Open at Pebble Beach and The Open at St. Andrews with a combined winning margin of 23 shots. This year he’s coming off a beating at the hands of Augusta.

He’s also now exactly twice the age he was at the time of the triump, but his body has been through a lot more than aging.

Off-course scandal, multiple injuries, surgeries and a devastating car crash have all left scars on the body of a middle-aged man.

Yet despite all the wear and tear, 24 years later, he’s a man who still believes he can win. Time and time again, Woods has maintained that he wouldn’t enter a tournament unless he believed he could be victorious.

Woods’ body has been through a lot more than aging since his 2000 triumph at Valhalla

Six majors into the comeback that began with his miracle Masters in 2022, what once could be seen as admirable grit and determination is beginning to taste like delusion.

But there’s a small victory in the fact that he’s still pushing. He pushed to make the cut at Augusta where the likes of Dustin Johnson and Viktor Hovland did not. A month later, he’s pushing to do the same again.

He likely won’t win again – not in the way he did back in 2000 – but Woods is simply winning every time he tees it up and so are the fans.

Woods is continuing to turn up and for as long as he does, he’ll be the main attraction.