Tiger Woods had a bad start that didn’t get any better in Round 1 at The Open

SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods’ pro-am round for the Farmers Insurance Open confirmed the 14-time major champion’s reasons for optimism while simultaneously showing the distance he must traverse to win his 80th PGA TOUR title. He had his share of highlights, including approach shots knocked stiff at the first and final holes and a 25-foot eagle putt at the 17th hole, but also missed a frustrating amount of short putts and had a recovery shot bounce backward after striking a tree. Woods hit his driver hard and his irons high, but his final score of even-par 72 seemed to be an accurate assessment of his day. He had several close approach shots, but didn’t consistently give himself birdie putts within 15 feet of the hole. Most of his misses were just off the fairway or green, though. Two tee shots – at Nos. 5 and 16 – were the only egregious misses. The latter was his sloppiest hole of the day. He was visibly frustrated as he walked to his ball after his failed attempt from the trees, rushing his pre-shot routine before hitting his ball on the green. The frustration shows that Woods still has a standard he expects to meet, even if it isn’t as high as it once was. Unlike the years when he was hampered by back pain, he isn’t content to just be able to swing the club. Even though he admitted that his expectations are tempered by the fact that he hasn’t played on TOUR in a year, Woods talked Wednesday about compiling a schedule that best prepares him for the Masters. The year’s first major is on his mind. The clubhead speed and confidence that make him optimistic about this comeback were on display Wednesday. So fresh is this start that it’s easy to forget that Woods played in this event last year, missing the cut with rounds of 76 and 72. His back already hurting, he lasted just one more round before shutting it down. There’s no pain this year. “I haven’t felt this good in years, so I’m excited about it,� Woods said. “I want to start feeling what it feels like to be out here and hit shots, grind out scores, and that’s something that I’ve been looking forward to.� This is just his second official PGA TOUR start since the 2015 Wyndham Championship. Success won’t be measured in a result this week, though. More important will be what happens 5, 10 or 15 starts from now. He hasn’t played more than 10 events since 2015, and his Player of the Year season of 2013 is the last time he made more than 15 starts. Woods would not elaborate on his upcoming schedule, though. The Genesis Open remains the only other tournament to which he has committed. Woods said he’s been playing golf six days per week, and that, unlike last year, he’s unencumbered by limits on how many holes he can play or balls he can hit. He’s still trying to learn how he can swing with the limited mobility that comes with a fused back. Woods no longer works with an instructor, choosing to experiment on his own. “I’d like to meet somebody who can swing it over 120 miles an hour with a fused back. Do you know anybody?� Woods asked rhetorically. “No one understands that, so I have to rely on my own feels and play around with what my body can and cannot do.� How he swung Wednesday, during what he termed a “hit and giggle� affair where entertaining his amateur partners was a priority along with learning a renovated North Course he’s played just once in competition, pales in importance to his performance Thursday, when he tees off at 10:40 a.m. with Charley Hoffman and Patrick Reed on the South Course. Woods is a seven-time champion of this event, and the winner of the 2008 U.S. Open here, but he hasn’t played on a Sunday at the South Course in five years. His victory at the 2013 Farmers Insurance Open was one of five wins that year. Torrey Pines has changed greatly since his first victory here, in 1999. He shot 22-under par that week. Three of the past four years, the Farmers Insurance Open has been won with a score that’s single-digits under par. Both courses have been renovated since Woods’ first win, and the rough was thick enough Wednesday to make searching for balls a struggle. “The greens are definitely very spring, and it’s going to be a challenge this week,� he said. “It’s going to be a little bit harder to make birdies than it has been in the past. It will be a great challenge.� How Woods handles it is of supreme interest this week, but success will be measured in a matter of months, not days.

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As the pandemic hopefully continues to slow down the TOUR speeds up as it returns to the Tokyo suburbs for the first time since 2019 for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. The invitational field of 78 players will navigate Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club for the second time in three years. The debut event in 2019 was conquered in the wee hours of the morning in the States by Tiger Woods for career win No. 82. Sadly, Woods is still recovering from serious injuries from a February car crash and won’t be able to defend. The 2020 event was played at Sherwood Country Club in Los Angeles and won’t provide any angle for this year’s edition. Playing to Par-70 and 7,041 yards Narashino Country Club saw only nine players post 10-under or better during the maiden voyage. An interesting mix of FIVE Par-3 holes and THREE Par-5 holes is unusual for Par-70 track. So are having two greens on EVERY hole. Rob Bolton does an excellent job of explaining why that is the case. In the first edition the course played well over par (71.55) on Thursday before lift, clean and replace dropped the average after a deluge on Friday (68.31). Fairways will be difficult to find so approach and recovery shots will be the order of the week. The soft conditions of 2019, 10 inches of rain, won’t be replicated so it will be interesting how firm it will or will not play. First time contestants won’t have trusty green maps to rely on from the past edition and will have to learn on the fly. There were only 16 bogey-free rounds in the first edition. Summer Olympians returning to the Land of the Rising Sun will know some of the tricks to alleviate jet lag and culture shock. On the line is a purse of $9.95 million with the winner taking home $1.791 million plus 500 FedExCup points. Recent Event Winners 2019: Tiger Woods (-19, 261; not entered) KEY STAT LEADERS Top golfers in each statistic on the PGA TOUR (thru 2021 season) are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Horses for Courses – 2019 ZOZO FINISHERS

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