Tiger Woods needs a little time, lot of patience
SAN DIEGO — It’s going to take time.
Tiger Woods knows that.
In his first start on the PGA Tour in 17 months, the best player of his generation teed off toward the Pacific Ocean and into the unknown Thursday in the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open.
While there were promising moments under bright skies and in front of massive galleries that rimmed every hole, Woods lost his battle against swing woes that sent many of his shots astray to the right — and then to the left — and eventually was battered by a brute otherwise known as the South Course.
While his short game rescued Woods on the outward nine, nothing saved him on the inward trek and he signed for a 4-over-par 76 that felt just a hair better because of a last-hole birdie from 9 feet. He is 11 shots behind pace-setter Justin Rose, who shot 65 on the easier North Course.
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It was Woods’ highest opening round score to start a season.
“I was fighting out there all day,” Woods said.
While Woods made his first birdie on the Tour in 523 days on the 10th, and then added another on the 11th with his best shot of the day, a 4-iron to 10 feet on the long par-3, he looked old, stiff and rusty as his round wore on and a bit lost when he couldn’t call on a go-to shot to get his ball in play.
A round that looked so encouraging when he reached red numbers with his back-to-back birdies turned into a slog of 5 hours, 21 minutes as his scorecard was marred by four bogeys and a double bogey in six holes. No one, not even Woods, who has won here eight times including the 2008 U.S. Open, can conquer the South from the rough, which is where he spent far too much time. And with bounce-back birdies so rare on this course that offers few Green Light specials to attack, it was harder to get his round back on track.
In the marquee group alongside world No. 1 Jason Day and No. 3 Dustin Johnson, Woods, now ranked 663rd, hit just 4 of 14 fairways in regulation — and not one of the back nine — and nine and 18 greens. He saved par with sporty chips three times on the front and added another par save from a greenside bunker, but everyone loses when fighting the South when missing greens and fairways, which Woods found out on the back.
The Tiger of old, who won 79 Tour titles and 14 major championships, would have fumed after the round. But the new Tiger, father of two and now 41 with a fragile back and far too many rehab days to count, has tempered his expectations — at least for now.
In his pre-tournament presser, he explained he had no idea what to expect going forward.
“We all know I haven’t played a full schedule in a very long time, so this is an unknown,” he said without reservation. “So one of the reasons why I’m playing four out of five is to get into the playing rhythm of playing competitive golf again. I’ve been away from it for so long.”
He’ll try and get into rhythm quickly with an arduous schedule that will test his game, endurance and back. He needs to go very low on the North Course in Friday’s second round to make the cut or he’ll have two extra days to get ready for his start next week in the Dubai Desert Classic in the Middle East. After a week off, he’ll play back-to-back weeks in Los Angeles and Florida.
Woods, who said his attempt to get a feel for playing was hindered by the pedestrian pace of play, the soft conditions of the course and the coolness in the air, has never been known for having a whole lot of patience. But now, as he continues to work his way back into the game, it is the 15th club in the bag.
“That’s what Joey (LaCava, his caddie) kept telling me all day today, just be patient with it,” Woods said. “I didn’t quite smile at him a few of those times he said that.”
But he knows LaCava knows of what he speaks.
