After his first 18 holes of the 142nd British Open, Woods at least found
himself in contention.
Woods shot an up-and-down 2-under 69 to leave him three shots behind early leader Zach Johnson.
SOLID START: Mickelson opens with a 69
BRITISH OPEN: Zach Johnson takes early lead
LEADERBOARD: 142nd British Open
Woods played the first round with 2010 U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell (Louis Oosthuizen withdrew after nine holes with an injury). We'll track their progress, hole by hole, throughout the first round.
No. 18, 470 yards, par 4: The closing hole has been a beast, playing to a par of 4.44. Uh-oh ... two tee shots miss the fairway, Woods just barely, McDowell farther off line. McDowell is forced to lay up; Woods, with a better lie, swings violently and fires it out of the rough and just short of the green. McDowell's third is a beauty, and he'll have a chance to save par. Woods' putt from off the green, about 90 feet, is decent, and he will have 6 feet to save par. McDowell misses his putt and finishes up with a 4-over 75. Not his best. Woods makes his par and is in with a 2-under 69.
No. 17, 575 yards, par 5: This hole has taken a beating, as expected, downwind from the tee. It was playing to a par of 4.6 when Woods and McDowell got there. Woods finds the fairway, McDowell ends up in a fairway bunker. McDowell chops out of the bunker and then fires his third, which rolls and rolls and rolls ... and despite landing in a bunker off the tee, he will have a good look at birdie. Woods knocks his second onto the green and will have 25 feet uphill for eagle. He gets it close enough for a tap-in birdie and is back to -2. McDowell can't get the birdie try to go ... another par to stay at +3.
No. 16, 186 yards, par 3: Woods misses long off the tee and will have to get up and down for par. McDowell, who needs something good, finds the green off the tee. Woods knocks his tricky second to within 3 feet to save par. McDowell's putt gets in the vicinity of Woods' ... each should save par. Woods stays at -1, McDowell stays at +3.
No. 15, 448 yards, par 4: Woods hits his 3-metal off the tee and splits the fairway. McDowell found the rough with his tee shot, and a fairway bunker with his second ... he was trying to lay up. Woods fired a 6-iron high in the air and landed it relatively softly about 25 feet from the flag. Woods cozies it up for a tap-in par to stay at -1. McDowell ends up with a double bogey and is now at +3.
No. 14, 475 yards, par 4: Woods finds the fairway again, with an iron ... meaning he'll have a long second. McDowell with a fairway metal finds the fairway, too. Woods had about 240 to the flag and finds the front of the green with his second. Long birdie putt, but safely on the putting surface. McDowell was 15 yards short of the green after two, but will have about 5 feet for par. Woods putted it off the green! Now he will have a not-so-easy up and down to save bogey. His par putt goes past, leaving 4 feet to save bogey. He got that one for his three-putt but drops back to -1. McDowell is at +1.
No. 13, 190 yards, par 3: Woods knocks it onto the green safely enough, a 9-iron to about 25 feet above the hole ... but the birdie putt will be no picnic. Or maybe it will be .... Woods bends it in for his third birdie in four holes, with a great par save as the other, and now he's at -2. McDowell makes par to stay at +1.
No. 12, 379 yards, par 4: Woods hits the stinger off the tee and finds the fairway again. He's hit the green in regulation five holes in a row. It should have been six in a row, but from 148 yards Woods flares it left and trickles it into a greenside bunker. Trouble brewing. After going birdie-birdie, then this; he can't stand prosperity. McDowell came up short of the green with his second. He pitches it up to about 4 feet for par. Woods' ball is near the wall; one foot in the bunker; one knee on the ground outside. He improvises, blasts it out to about 6 feet. Not an easy par save ... but he makes it. He will stay at -1. McDowell stays at +1.
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