San Diego: Tiger Woods made an encouraging start to his 2011 season without playing at his very best, firing a three-under-par 69 in Thursday`s opening round at the Farmers Insurance Open.
With the first winless season of his career now behind him, the former world number one recorded three birdies and no bogeys on a near-perfect day for scoring on the Southern California coastline.A six-times winner of the PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines, Woods failed to birdie either of the two-par-fives on his outward nine on the North Course before picking up two shots after the turn.
That left him two strokes off the early lead, fellow American John Daly having opened with a sparkling five-under 67 on the more difficult South Course.
Back at Torrey Pines for the first time since his stunning playoff win at the 2008 US Open, Woods teed off on the back nine and made his first birdie at the par-three 12th where he struck his tee shot to four feet.
With hardly a breath of wind to bother the golfers, it seemed likely Woods would pick up at least two more shots before the turn but wayward drives at the par-five 14th and 18th cost him birdie chances.
Watched by a surprisingly small gallery numbering around 200, Woods birdied the second and then got to three under after sinking a 25-footer at the par-three sixth, where he sank to his knees in relief.
He lipped out with a birdie attempt from 10 feet at the par-four seventh and failed to birdie the par-five ninth after driving into a fairway bunker.
Woods, who was engulfed by a sex scandal at the end of 2009, spent much of last year unsuccessfully trying to repair his marriage and also undergoing the fourth swing change of his career.He finished the 2010 PGA Tour season without a single title for the first time since he turned professional in 1996 and was deposed as world number one by Britain`s Lee Westwood on Nov. 1.
However, since Woods joined forces with Canadian swing coach Sean Foley after the PGA Championship in August, his form has steadily improved and he began this season with high hopes.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.