Woods facing battle to make cut

TIGER WOODS endured a disappointing start to the Quail Hollow Championship yesterday with four bogeys and a double-bogey in a two-over-par opening round of 74.

That left the world number one nine shots behind early leader Bo van Pelt. Ireland’s Rory McIlroy shot a level par 72 alongside Padraig Harrington.

Van Pelt, who shot a 7 under par 65, is followed by Geoff Ogilvy, Billy Mayfair, and Paul Goydos, who all shot a four under par 68. Cameron Percy, Brian Stuard and Ricky Barnes all shot three under par 69s.

After coming fourth in the Masters following a self-imposed 144-day absence from tournament golf, Woods took a two-and-a-half week break.

He received a rousing welcome at Quail, starting on the 10th with a birdie, only to drop five shots in nine holes.

Woods paid the price for inaccuracy off the tee. A drive into the left rough on the 12th hole led to his first bogey, and he had to battle to save par from near a holly tree on the 15th.

On the par 3, 17th hole, his first tee shot flew into the water, and although his second stuck to the green he could not make a 30-footer and came away with a double bogey.

The problems continued when he bogeyed the par-4 18th. After another dropped shot at the first, a birdie two at the second was the catalyst for a recovery which saw him haul himself back to one over, but a closing bogey left him with work to do to make the cut on Friday.

Woods admitted afterwards that he was perplexed by his poor play: “It was a terrible day. I just didn’t have it. I was dropping balls out of hazards and finding balls in trees. I was struggling so bad today, I didn’t know which way I was going to go, whether I was going left or right..”