ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Just as he did in the opening round of the 2015 Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Tiger Woods dunked his approach to the easy par-4 first hole into the burn Thursday in the first round of the 150th Open Championship.
And just like in 2015, things did not get better.
Woods, playing in just his third tournament of the year and dealing with further rehab on his surgically repaired right leg, foot and ankle, looked much older than his 46 years as he labored across the rumpled, sacred ground in search of his fourth Claret Jug and 16th major triumph.
Over a round that lasted slightly more than six hours, there was no punch in his driver for much of the day, no authority in his irons, no conviction in his putter, no confidence with his short game. He looked tentative at times from the first tee through the 18th green, a far cry from the presence that radiated during 58 practice round holes where a smile was constant and good shots aplenty earlier this week.
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But then a scorecard went into his pocket.
The result? Double-bogey 6 on No. 1 when he became the first player to wind up in the burn; bogey 5 on No. 3; bogey 5 on No. 4; double-bogey 6 on No. 7; three-putt bogey 4 on No. 11; bogey 5 on No. 13; bogey 5 on No. 16 after a poor putt from off the green.
Among his three birdies was at the par-5 14th after a colossal drive of 412 yards. He also drove the green of the short par-4 18th with a 3-wood. But he three-putted from the Valley of Sin.
He signed for a 6-over-par 78, which left him 14 shots out of the lead.
“A long, slow day,” Woods said afterward. “I had chances to turn it around and I just didn’t get it done. Probably highest score as I could have shot. Didn’t get off to a great start. Hit a good tee shot down one, ended up right in the middle of a fresh divot. And I hit a good shot. Wind gusts hit it and ended up in the burn.
“I think I had maybe four or five 3-putts today. Just wasn’t very good on the greens. And every putt I left short. I struggled with hitting the putts hard enough. They looked faster than what they were putting, and I struggled with it.”
His putting woes began during the practice rounds.
“I compounded problems with my bad speed on the greens,” he said. “I hit the ball in the correct spots a couple times, left myself some good lag putts, the correct angles and I messed those up.
“And so when I had opportunities to make a few…
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