Rusty Woods laments late mistakes in opening 75 at Hero World Challenge
Tiger Woods. Archive
Tiger Woods walked comfortably but his seven-month injury layoff showed as he dropped four shots in his last four holes and opened with a three-over 75 in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
Playing for the first time since undergoing ankle surgery, the 15-time Major winner was rusty, especially around the greens, three-putting twice and mixed four birdies with five bogeys and a double-bogey seven at Albany Golf Club.
“I was rusty,” said Woods, who was 18th in the 20-man field, eight shots behind Tony Finau and Open champion Brian Harman, whose 67s gave them a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth. “I didn't have my feels and conditions were tough early.
“I kind of hung through there and I did not finish off the round the way I needed to and consequently it kind of went sideways at the end.”
He began by striping a 326-yard drive down the first, made a nine-footer for a sand save at the second before brushing in a 22-footer for birdie at the par-five third
But while sandwiched a birdie two from 28 feet at the fifth between bogeys at the fourth and sixth to turn in level, he ran out of steam coming home.
Birdies at the 11th and 14th against a bogey at the 12th left him one under before he made a double-bogey seven after poor drive at the par-five 15th, then followed a bogey at the 16th with his second three putt of the day at the 17th.
As Woods was making his eagerly-anticipated comeback, LIV Golf released a low-key field for next week’s inaugural LIV Golf Promotions event in at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from December 8-10.
Royal Dublin amateur Max Kennedy (21) has joined fellow Palmer Cup player Ryan Griffin (23) from Donegal and taken advantage of an exemption that gives them a chance to battle for a $200,000 payday and three spots in the LIV Golf League next year.
They join former PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner and former Ryder Cup stars Victor Dubuisson of France and Jeff Overton of the US as well as Spain’s Gonzalo Fernández Castaño and Alvaro Quiros
The top 20 and ties after the first round join 14 exempt players in the second round, after which the top 20 will advance to a 36-hole final-day shootout.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren carded a bogey-free, seven-under 65 to lead South Africa’s Casey Jarvis by a shot after the opening round of the Investec South African Open at the Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate.
