Woods fumes but stays in hunt

Double winners Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood both took out their anger on the St Leon-Rot course in Heidelberg in the opening round of the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open today.

Defending champion Woods let everybody know what he thought of his lie on the edge of a bunker at the long 17th, his eighth, as he ran up a bogey six.

Sand went flying as the world number one, winner of the title in 1999 as well as last year, attacked the offending spot with his club.

But Woods’ composure was soon restored and he finished with a three-under-par 69 to be only two behind the early leader, his playing partner Eduardo Romero.

Westwood, champion in 1998 and 2000, literally left his mark on the 17th as well, and he failed to recover, finishing with a two-over-par 74.

The former European number one, without a win for 19 months, had just bogeyed the 14th and 15th and when he carved his drive into the rough two holes later he slammed his driver into the teeing ground. The hole also cost him a bogey six.

Romero was two clear of the field until a three-putt bogey on the 477-yard par four ninth, his last, allowed Ian Woosnam, Greg Owen, Australian Richard Green and South African Darren Fichardt to close to only one behind.

Romero, at 47 trying to become the third oldest winner in European tour history, sparkled in Woods’ company, picking up shots on the 12th, 15th, 17th to turn in 33, then the second, third and difficult fifth.

Woods had made the better opening when they teed off together at 8.20am, accompanied by a huge crowd and perfect conditions, hot, sunny and calm.

The Masters champion, who next month at the US Open tries for the second leg of the Grand Slam, pushed his first drive into rough so deep that even when he was a few feet from the ball Romero had to point it out to him.

But from there Woods used all his might to finish 18 feet from the flag with his second and holed the curling putt.

He missed from six feet on the next, two-putted for another birdie at the 12th, then left a 25-footer hanging on the lip at the short 13th.

Just short of the green with his drive at the 343-yard 14th his chip for eagle hit the hole, but ran 12 feet past and he missed the return.

Then came a 25-footer for birdie at the 16th, but then came his blip on the 17th as well.

It was his second shot that finished on the edge of the bunker 50 yards from the flag.

The lie meant he could move it only 20 of those yards and from the fringe of the green he left his chip 12 feet short and missed.

Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke, who pulled out of yesterday’s pro-am with back and thigh muscle problems respectively, were not due out until later in the day and were receiving treatment during the morning.

Clarke was the first to tee off, but his caddie Billy Foster said the Ulsterman was prepared to pull out the moment if he felt a twinge.

He had been told on Tuesday he was ‘‘extremely unlikely’’ to play, but had improved rapidly since.

Leaderboard

6 under - Eduardo Romero (Arg) (after 17 holes)

4 under - Greg Owen (17), Richard Green (Aus) (15), Darren Fichardt (Rsa) (15).

3 under - Brian Davis (18), Tiger Woods (US) (17), Alastair Forsyth (18), Ian Woosnam (17), Gary Clark (16)

Others: 1 under - Padraig Harrington (16), 3 over - Lee Westwood (17)