Tiger Woods shot a 1-over par 72 on Thursday at Riviera Country Club and sits T73 after the first round of the Genesis Open.
Playing alongside Justin Thomas (69) and Rory McIlroy (71), Woods was up and down for most of the day, struggling especially with his accuracy (7 of 18 GIR). He never had what you’d call a good stretch but he also saved his round (and possibly his tournament) with a couple of timely birdies on hole Nos. 8 and 13 following a run of bad holes.
“I thought it was all right. I made some silly bogeys but I thought I hung in there and grinded,” said Woods.
Overall, the 42-year old Woods “grinded” out five birdies against four bogeys. He also added a double on the par-5 11th hole (his No. 2), where his tee shot landed in a tree and never dislodged, resulting in a lost ball penalty.
Woods will tee off in the same grouping on Friday at 12:02 pm from tee No. 1.
HOLE OF THE DAY
Tiger starts his day off with a birdie on the short (but tricky) par-4 10th hole.
1. Perfect drive.
2. Approach to 9 feet.
3. Putt for birdie.
(3-video slideshow: Swipe to view each shot.)
FIRST-ROUND STATS
- 8 of 14 Fairways (57%)
- 7 of 18 Greens (39%)
- 1.429 Putts Per GIR
- 261.4 yards Driving
- 8 Pars, 5 Birdies, 4 Bogeys, 1 Double
VIDEO: TIGER’S ROUND ONE HIGHLIGHTS
QUOTABLE
“I’m not that far off to really putting some good numbers out there. I’ve got to clean up my card; too many bogeys out there. I’m not really worried about 11, but I made too many bogeys. If I can just clean that up, I can start making my way up the board.”
– Tiger Woods
PHOTOS: TIGER'S DAY ONE AT RIVIERA
Credits: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images
