5 best shots from Tiger Woods’ opening round

Tiger Woods’ opening round was as good as most people could have expected after playing only three rounds of competitive tournament golf in two-and-a-half years.

The 14-time major champion posted a level par 72 at Torrey Pines – four shots better than his first round last year – and, while he admitted afterwards he was ‘a little rusty’, there were some glimpses of brilliance.

Here are five of Woods’ best shots during Thursday’s round:

1. 16th hole – Tee shot

This one nearly raised the roof. This was how close Woods came to a hole-in-one on his PGA Tour return. A tap-in birdie took him back to level par. He said: “It felt good, looked good, and then we were listening for some noise.”

2. 10th hole – Second shot

On the tenth hole, Woods stuck it close with this wedge shot to make his second of three birdies.

3. 12th hole – Tee shot

To think, he dropped the club afterwards. Woods averaged 314.1 yards off the tee in the opening round (ninth in the field) and this 316-yard rocket helped towards that.

4. 6th hole – Third shot

Woods only made 34ft of putts during the first round – second worst only to David Hearn – but came this close to an eagle on the sixth hole. It left him with a tap-in birdie which helped build momentum for the rest of the round.

5. 6th hole – Second shot

It followed this wonderful second shot – a 234-yard 4-iron. This was easily one of Woods’ best iron shots of the day, with him critical of his performance with them post-round.

What Tiger said

“It was fun to compete again. It was fun to be out there. I still feel the same excitement, the same nerves, and it was fun to feel the competitive rush again, have a scorecard in my hand and try and post a number.

“But I didn’t hit anything close, didn’t give myself a lot of looks and consequently didn’t have a lot of chances for birdies. I’ve got to hit my irons better than I did today. It’s hard to make a lot of birdies when you don’t give yourself a lot of looks.”

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