Tiger Woods Back in Action After 3 Months

 Former world number-one golfer Tiger Woods of the United States is back in competition after an 11-week break to heal injuries to his left leg.

Woods teed it up Thursday at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, and finished his first round at 2-under-par-68.  He said he "hit the ball really flush" and that the hardest part was controlling the distance.

Woods is tied for 18th, six shots behind leader Adam Scott of Australia who fired a brilliant 8-under-par 62.

This had been the third-longest layoff¹ of Tiger's career, during which he fired his longtime caddie, saying it was time for a change  And on Monday he dropped to number-28, his lowest world ranking in 14.5 years.

It has been more than 20 months since Tiger's last victory, was which at the Australian Masters, shortly before he was exposed for having multiple extramarital affairs that led to his divorce.

Woods is playing a Firestone course where he has been quite successful.  He has won seven times there, matching the most he has won on any course as a pro².  However, he was at his low point on the course in the Bridgestone Invitational last year when he finished 78th in an 80-man field.  Before that, Woods had never finished out of the top five on the course.

Woods last played May 12 when he withdrew from the Players Championship in Florida after nine holes after aggravating³ a strained left knee and left Achilles tendon.

While sidelined he missed two majors - the U.S. Open and the British Open.  He called his return "fun" and added that he has missed the competition.

1 layoff   

n.临时解雇，操作停止，活动停止期间，失业期

参考例句：

• Finally, prepare an explanation about what led to your layoff.最后，要准备好一套说辞来解释你被解雇的原因。
• Workers were re-employed after the layoff.在暂时解雇不久后工人们又被再度雇用了。

2 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

3 aggravating   

adj.恼人的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• How aggravating to be interrupted! 被打扰，多令人生气呀！
• Diesel exhaust is particularly aggravating to many susceptible individuals. 许多体质敏感的人尤其反感柴油废气。