He's back. And my God, you'd have needed a heart of stone - or perhaps the fake morality of a Daily Mail headline writer - not to have loved every minute of it.
From the moment Tiger Woods blasted his opening drive down the middle of the first fairway, watching this vintage Woods performance was as warm, delicious and seductive as sitting in an armchair made of toasted marshmallow.
A slow start for Woods - presumably to allow the TV cameras to be switched on at the appointed hour - turned into a blistering round of golf that was his best-ever opening round at Augusta by a clear two shots.
His eagle on the eighth was followed by a shot of such staggering brilliance on the ninth (see 'Shot of the day', below) that you realise just why his emergence in the late 1990s led to a 'Church of Tiger Woods' being set up.
That church was closed down following his sex scandal; but after Thursday's outstanding performance it's time to start praying to the great man once again.
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Before the tournament got underway Bunker Mentality predicted one of the most glorious Masters tournaments for years - and even if Tiger hadn't been present it would have been one of the great first days in Major championship history.
The sight of Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle throwing birdies at each other would have been unforgettable on its own; the best-of-British performances delivered by the near flawless Lee Westwood and the endlessly gutsy Ian Poulter made it even better; and the fact that Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els showed form to suggest that they will also be in the hunt come Sunday set up one of the most memorable golf tournaments for years.
BM can't wait for them to tee up again on Friday afternoon - and you can follow it LIVE throughout the day at uk.eurosport.yahoo.com.
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Shot of the day: Steve Marino would have expected to win it after he holed a wedge shot for an eagle on the second - but then Tiger Woods produced a truly magical second shot on the ninth. After pulling his drive towards the trees, Woods needed to bend a miracle shot 40 yards in the air to find the green. Not only did he find the green, but he ran the ball straight past the hole to set up a birdie.
Surprise of the day: Fred Couples's brilliant golf wasn't much of a surprise considering his three wins in four starts this year on the Seniors Tour. And after his Open heroics last summer it wasn't that unusual to see Tom Watson in contention. The form of Sandy Lyle, however, was gobsmacking - and wonderful to see. His first sub-70 round at Augusta since his late Eighties heyday left Sandy believing that he, like his fellow 50-somethings, can challenge for another Green Jacket.
Stat of the day: Average of 1.33 putts per hole, achieved by both Fred Couples and Tom Watson. It's usually the best putter of the week that wins at Augusta - can the old boys keep their nerve come Sunday afternoon?
Nonsense of the day: The continual need of the golf media to question whether a 50-something can really win a Major championship. After Greg Norman at Birkdale, Tom Watson at Turnberry and now Fred Couples at Augusta, it's clear that the old rules on golfers' career length need to be rewritten.