Tiger Woods struggled in his second comeback tournament on Thursday, limping to an opening two-over 74 at the Quail Hollow Championship.
The world No. 1 displayed all the rustiness expected of someone who had spent five months out of the game until the US Masters three weeks ago, carding four bogeys and a double-bogey to finish nine shots behind first-round leader Bo Van Pelt (65).
“It was a terrible day to begin with,” said Woods, who was playing his first event since finishing joint fourth at the Masters. “I didn’t hit the ball very good at all.”
PHOTO: AFP
While Woods commanded most attention, fellow American Van Pelt stormed to a seven-under 65 with a flawless round featuring seven birdies.
Van Pelt, who claimed his first PGA Tour win at the Milwaukee Championship last year, has struggled with his putting this year. He has tried 10 different blades, before finally deciding to refurbish the putter he used when he won in July.
“I was temporarily insane for about eight weeks,” Van Pelt said. “I was changing putters all the time and trying new stuff, and finally went back to an old putter I had used for about four and a half years that I won with last year. I guess I’ve got a lot of good feelings with that putter, so it was just good to have it back in my hands.”
Van Pelt was one stroke ahead of fellow American Kenny Perry and two ahead of Colombia’s Camilo Villegas.
Perry reached seven-under when he eagled the par-five seventh, his 16th hole, but bogeyed the next to surrender a share of the lead.
US Masters champion Phil Mickelson shot a 70 less than 24 hours after requiring an intravenous drip to participate in the tournament. The American withdrew from Wednesday’s pro-am complaining of dehydration.
He pointed out that the last time he was sick, in Miami last year, he won the WGC-CA Championship.
“The last two times I’ve fainted and woken up in a pool of vomit, I’ve won,” said Mickelson, whose other victory came in San Diego in 2001.
Woods made a bright start with a birdie at the 10th, his opening hole, but dropped four strokes around the turn after finding water off the tee at the 17th and 18th.
Despite his erratic tee shots and unplanned excursions off the fairway, Woods fared better than Parker McLachlin, who ballooned to a 16-over 88 that included a 12 on the seventh hole.
McLachlin put four balls in the water at the par-five seventh to equal the worst score on a PGA Tour hole this year.
■SPANISH OPEN
REUTERS, SEVILLE, SPAIN
European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie blew his top in inimitable style when a burst of disco music spoiled his Spanish Open first round on Thursday.
Montgomerie had put together a solid opening round and needed a birdie on his last hole to lie only four shots off the lead when he three-putted for a bogey to the accompaniment of loud disco music from a nearby tent.
“Is this a f***ing party or a golf tournament?” the 46-year-old Briton fumed after signing for a one-under 71 that left him six strokes behind leader Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina.
Gonzalez continued his love affair with Spain and the Real Club course where he won the 2004 Seville Open.
“I love the country, the people, the food, everything, it’s like being home,” he said after his 65.
Gonzalez leads by a stroke from Briton Paul Waring.
Argentine Rafa Echenique, Spanish trio Alvaro Quiros, Sebi Garcia and Carlos Del Moral, Swedes Martin Erlandsson and Mikael Lundberg, Irishman Damien McGrane, and Britons Simon Dyson and Danny Willett all shared third place on 68.
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