Tiger off to excellent start at Bethpage Black

Tiger Woods got off to a solid start Thursday in The Barclays, the first of four FedExCup playoff events in warm and windless conditions on the challenging Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y.

Woods, the FedExCup points leader coming in, shot a 3-under-par 68 and finished his round in a tie for 14th place. He fashioned four birdies and one bogey on the famed A.W. Tillinghast layout, site of Tiger’s 2002 U.S. Open win.

Padraig Harrington is the first-round leader with a 64.

“I didn’t quite hit the ball as well as I would like,” said Woods. “I’m going to do some work this afternoon and work on a couple things I know I need to shore up for tomorrow.”

Tiger hit 72 percent of the greens and 64 percent of the fairways in regulation. He also averaged 306.5 yards off the tee and was 50 percent in bunker saves.

Woods was more pleased with his work on the greens, using 28 putts.

“I putted great,” he said.

An early back-nine starter with Rory McIlroy and Zach Johnson, Tiger opened with four-consecutive pars, making nice saves on the first two holes. He broke through with a birdie at the 171-yard, par-3 14th, knocking his tee shot 16 feet left of the cup.

Woods followed with four-straight pars to make the turn in 1-under 34. His best birdie chance came at the par-4 16th, where he missed from 12 feet.

After saving par at the par-4 first hole, Tiger birdied the 389-yard, par-4 second, where he hit a nice drive and had 104 yards left to the pin. Woods hit a wedge 21 feet past the cup and poured in the putt.

Tiger squandered a good birdie opportunity at the par-3 third, where he hit his tee shot nine feet from the hole but couldn’t convert. However, he sunk a nice, seven-foot birdie putt at the 517-yard, par-5 fourth.

Woods made a good up-and-down par save at the 478-yard, par-4 fifth, finding the right greenside bunker with his approach shot and blasted to six feet. His lone bogey of the day came at the 408-yard, par-4 sixth, where he drove into the right rough, hit his second shot into the right greenside bunker, exploded to seven feet and missed the par putt.

But Tiger regrouped quickly, making birdie at the 553-yard, par-5 seventh, played as a par-4 in the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens. After a good drive, he hit his second shot just over the back of the putting surface, knocked his third shot eight feet from the cup and made the putt.

Woods parred the last two holes, two-putting from long range at the par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth.

Tiger said the pin positions were more inviting than they were in the previous U.S. Opens.

“They’re probably a step and half easier today than they normally are for an Open,” he said. “The USGA obviously likes to push the envelope, especially if it’s soft. They like to get them over in those corners. Today, you have a little more room and you could take some chances.”

Woods, ranked third in the world, enjoyed playing with the 23-year-old McIlroy, ranked No. 1. They talked frequently during the round.

“He’s a nice kid, he really is,” said Woods. “As I said yesterday in the press, I played with him in Abu Dhabi. We struck up a friendship and it’s continued, and I think it’s only going to get better.”

On Friday, Woods, McIlroy and Johnson start off the first tee at 1:06 p.m. ET.