Mixed bag for level-par Tiger

Tiger Woods left himself five behind Vijay Singh with an opening 72 in the Masters at Augusta today – after a round which included an eagle two and a double-bogey seven.

Woods sank a 163-yard eight-iron on the 14th, but on the next hole his second shot lay-up finished in a divot hole and from there he hit into the lake short of the green.

“Somebody left a pretty big divot there,” said the defending champion afterwards. “I couldn’t get at the ball and one of my options was to rip a seven-iron into the grandstand. But I fatted it into the water.”

Woods also felt unlucky when, on a dry, hot day, his drive down the 10th somehow picked up mud as it landed and he bogeyed.

“I was shocked,” commented the world number one, seeking his fifth victory in the event.

“I thought I played really well actually. I hit a bunch of good shots.”

Not off the 17th tee, though. He blasted that onto the seventh fairway.

Singh, winner in 2000, came home in 32 to set the pace by one from American Rocco Mediate.