AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Tiger Woods dropped two strokes at the Masters before he even hit a shot Saturday. At least he's still in the tournament.
Woods got a reprieve at the Masters when he was given a two-shot penalty for a bad drop but avoided a more serious sanction disqualification.
"I took a drop that I thought was correct and in accordance with the rules," Woods said on Twitter. "I understand and accept the penalty and respect the committee's decision."
Still, the ruling stirred up plenty of debate on social media. Some fellow golfers claimed Woods got special treatment and others noted it came one day after 14-year-old Guan Tianlang was penalized a stroke for slow play, nearly causing him to miss the cut.
Some even called for Woods to withdraw.
"I think he should WD. He took a drop to gain an advantage," tweeted David Duval, once Woods' top rival.
"I guess Tiger is BIGGER than golf. Any other person in the world gets DQ'd. Gotta keep those TV ratings going right?" added Kyle Thompson, who plays on a lower-level tour.
Hunter Mahan, who missed the Masters cut, praised the decision.
"I like this ruling because he took an illegal drop but no official brought it to his attention," Mahan tweeted.
Still in the game, Woods birdied the very first hole. But he couldn't keep the momentum going, making the turn with an even-par 36 after a 2-foot try at the par-5 eighth spun all the way around the cup and came out.
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Woods gets 2-stroke penalty at Masters, but no DQ