Tiger completes Round 1 of Farmers at even-par 72
Tiger Woods shook off the rust after a six-week layoff to shoot a hard-fought even-par 72 on Thursday in the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open at scenic Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif. Making his 2013-14 PGA TOUR debut, Tiger made two birdies and two bogeys on the tougher South Course, one of two used in the tournament.
A seven-time winner and defending champion of the event, the top-ranked Woods hit only 11 of 18 greens in regulation and struggled off the tee at times, hitting 7 of 14 fairways. He also failed to birdie any of the par-5s. But Tiger battled from start to finish and will move to the shorter North Course on Friday, which played nearly four shots easier.
“Even par’s not too bad, but I didn’t play the par-5s worth a darn today,” Woods said. “Obviously that’s paramount to try to get any kind of scoring on the South Course.”
Stewart Cink posted an 8-under-par 64 on the North Course to grab the early lead. Woods is tied for 63rd.
The start of play was delayed 30 minutes due to heavy fog, but once it lifted, conditions were calm and sunny. Paired with Jimmy Walker and Jordan Spieth, Tiger hit his opening tee shot in the right rough but managed to make par. He made his first birdie of the new season on the par-4 second hole, where he hit a wedge from 128 yards two feet right of the cup.
After parring the next two holes, Tiger made his first bogey of 2014 at the 454-yard, par-5 third hole, where his approach shot found the right greenside bunker. He was unable to get up-and-down, but Woods parred the next four holes to make the turn at even-par 36.
Tiger gave himself a good birdie chance at the 416-yard, par-4 10th, but was unable to convert from about 15 feet. At the difficult 214-yard, par-3 11th hole, he hit a 5-iron into the right bunker, blasted just inside 10 feet from pin and burned the left edge of the cup with his par putt.
Woods made a nice scrambling par at the tough 502-yard, par-4 12th. After driving in the left rough, he slashed a 5-wood from 223 yards short-right of the green, then chipped 16 feet past the hole. Tiger poured in the putt.
Woods had to scramble for par again at the par-5 13th, then rolled in a birdie putt from the front fringe at the 437-yard, par-4 14th hole. Tiger made a nice up-and-down par save from short of the green at the par-4 15th.
At the par-3 16th, Woods two-putted for par from long range. He hit a nice approach to the 442-yard, par-4 17th hole, one of the firmest greens on the course, but the ball bounced into the right fringe. Tiger two-putted for a par.
Woods knocked his drive at the 570-yard, par-5 18th hole into the left fairway bunker. From there, he hit a nice lay-up to 143 yards, but he hit his third shot with a pitching wedge short-left of the pin. Again, Tiger two-putted from long distance and finished with a par. It marked the first time Woods has been unable to break par in his opening round of the tournament.
“I didn’t feel that rusty,” Woods said. “I felt I hit a lot of good shots. I hit probably three loose ones.”
Tiger is scheduled to start his second round Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET on the 10th tee with Walker and Spieth.
