Slow start hurts Tiger in opening round at St. Andrews

Unable to mount a good start, Tiger Woods struggled to a 4-over-par 76 on Thursday in the first round of the 144^th Open Championship at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. It was his highest score as a pro at St. Andrews, where he previously won Claret Jugs in 2000 and 2005.

Dustin Johnson was the early clubhouse leader with a 65.

Playing in chilly, overcast conditions, Woods recorded five bogeys and only one birdie, the latter coming at the par-5 14^th hole. After playing bogey-free two weeks ago in his final round at the Greenbrier Classic, Tiger had trouble controlling the distance of his irons and found only 10 of 18 greens in regulation.

This, despite a good warm-up session on the range.

“I fought hard, I just made so many mistakes today,” a disappointed but composed Woods said afterward.

An early starter with Jason Day of Australia and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, Tiger stumbled out of the gate, making bogeys on the par-4 first and second holes. At No. 1, he came up short of the green with a wedge and landed in a fronting burn. After incurring a one-stroke penalty and taking a drop, he managed to get up-and-down. At No. 2, he came up well short of the green with his short iron approach shot and was unable to save par.

Tiger steadied with pars at the third and fourth holes, then bogeyed the par-5 fifth, where he pulled his drive into the deep rough on the left, hit his second shot in deeper rough, slashed his third shot about 50 feet past the pin, and three-putted.

At the par-4 sixth, Woods missed a good birdie chance from about 14 feet, then bogeyed the 371-yard, par-4 seventh. After a good drive at No. 7, he spun his short approach shot off the front of the green into a swale, putted five feet short of the cup and burned the right edge with his par attempt.

Woods two-putted the par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth holes for pars and made the turn in 4-over 36.

Moving to the tougher back nine, which played mostly back into the wind, Tiger dropped another shot at the par-4 10^th, where again his short approach shot rolled back off the front of the putting surface into a valley. Woods putted five feet short and missed his par putt.

Following a two-putt par at the par-3 11^th, Tiger hit a good drive just short of the green at the 348-yard, par-4 12^th, but chunked his short approach shot short of the green and did well to two-putt for par. After a two-putt par at No. 13, Woods carded his lone birdie of the day at No. 14, where he hit two big shots just short of the green, putted five feet from the cup and made the putt.

At the 455-yard, par-4 15^th, Tiger striped another good drive, but his approach kicked into the right fringe, leaving a 35-foot birdie putt. From there, he burned the right edge of the hole and made par.

Woods, who wore rain pants to combat the cool temperatures, made a nice two-putt par from more than 30 feet at the par-4 16^th. At the 495-yard, par-4 17^th, which requires players to drive over the left corner of the Old Course Hotel and is also known at the Road Hole, Tiger drove into the left rough in the adjacent second fairway, came up well short of the green with his second shot, elected to putt and left his third shot about 18 feet short of the pin and sunk the par putt, his longest make of the day.

At the short, picturesque par-4 18^th hole, which affords sweeping views of the town, Woods drove left and spun a wedge about 15 feet past the pin and two-putted for a par.

His highest previous round as a pro at St. Andrews was 73.

Tiger, who has never missed consecutive cuts in major championships as a professional, will look to rebound Friday but might have to fight the elements. He begins second-round play at 9:56 a.m. ET with Day and Oosthuizen. The afternoon forecast calls for 100 percent chance of rain and high winds up to 40 miles per hour.

“Hopefully, conditions will be tough, and I can put together a good round,” Woods said.