Tiger takes tips from Wimbledon Champ

Watched by Roger Federer, Tiger Woods was unable to produce the sort of performance he had hoped for in the opening round of the HSBC Champions in Shanghai on Thursday.

World number one Woods finished seven shots off leader Jyoti Randhawa on level par after a disappointing start where he hit a double bogey on the 11th, his second hole.

It took until the second, his 11th, before he finally moved into the red but bogeys on the fifth and eighth meant he had to settle for an opening round of 72.

And when asked if he could learn anything from Federer, who took time out to lend his friend support ahead of the Tennis Masters Cup which begins in the city on Sunday, Woods joked: “Yeah, I need to get my backhand a little better!

“We do talk quite a bit and it’s kind of nice to pick each other’s brains about certain things.

“You start relating to some of the things you’ve got to go through when preparing… some of the distractions (you have to deal with) to get you to the top and once you’re there, to keep moving forward.”

With regards to his form on the day, Woods admitted he has a lot to do if he is to have a chance of winning the event.

Having lost out by three shots to David Howell last year, Woods is keen to make an impact this time around.

He added: “I was in position to get to three or four under par today, at two under par I missed a short birdie putt and then made bogey on the par five.

“Unfortunately it didn’t happen that way, it went the other way and left myself just an awful lot of work with three days to go.

“It’s very frustrating because I was in a great position to get to about four and that would have been fine. I would have only been a few back.

“This golf course is playing a lot harder this year, it’s firm and fast. With the scores, there are some pretty good numbers out there. If you hit the ball well and if you make good putts, they are going in.”

Woods was not the only player disappointed on the day with 2006 rookie of the year Marc Warren controversially being denied a share of the lead following a penalty for a lost ball.

The 25-year-old Scot was six under par with three holes remaining when on the 15th he was unable to find his ball.

A witness reported seeing someone running away from the course, suggesting that it may have been stolen, but Warren was forced to play a drop ball and carded a bogey to eventually finish one shot behind Randhawa.

And he said: “Simon Dyson was on the tee first, hit his drive straight in the middle of the fairway and kind of blind and it goes a little to the left.

“Then I went down the middle, past him, went out, and through the fairway into the rough and nothing has come up.

“A marshal is sitting in a bush behind the TV tower and they have not seen my ball on the fairway. It’s a lost ball unfortunately.

“But I managed to make three on the next and on the next had pretty good chances. The last two didn’t go in, but I was pleased to finish six under.”

However, there was better news for Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who is only two shots behind the lead after finishing five under par.

Harrington has an extra incentive to win the tournament here, as he would keep his status as European number one for a while longer at least.

“It’s only been a week,” he said. “It’s nice to be back out. A lot of people have been congratulating me here, a lot of players, but unfortunately there will be a new number one at the end of the week.

“If you win here, you’ll probably hold on to the Order of Merit lead through Christmas so hopefully I’ll do that.”