Woods laments performance on par-fives

Tiger Woods admitted he could have done more on the par five holes on the Torrey Pines North Course after firing a bogey-free round of 69 to open his season in the Farmers Insurance Open in California.

Woods was three-under-par after the first round in San Diego but that left him five shots behind South Korean rookie Sunghoon Kang.

"I could have been a lot better if I took care of the par fives a little bit more, but obviously, I didn't do that," said Woods.

"I didn't leave myself any putts. I kept leaving myself above the hole. And I didn't take advantage of the par fives," added Woods, who has slipped from number one to three in the world.

Rookie Kang finished with back-to-back birdies on the North Course for a round of eight under.

His 64 total gave him a one-shot lead over Alex Prugh and Rickie Fowler, with another rookie in Chris Kirk a shot further back at 66.

Phil Mickelson and John Daly both hit 67 on the tougher South Course, Daly playing at a venue which saw his last win when he took the honours in the same tournament in 2004.

Daly said: "This place means a lot to me. The top golfers play here every year. That says something."

Daly was a play-off winner in 2004 but last year missed the cut at Torrey Pines and his comments after rounds of 79 and 71 led to widespread speculation that he was ready to retire from the game.

Daly had certainly regained his appetite 12 months on and showed a liking for the course which was not bettered by many.

Of those who showed better form were Kang who put everyone else in the shame, including Woods.

Kang said: "This course, all the par fives are reachable, so I really tried to keep to the fairways and it worked really well.

"And I really had a good chance on the par fives. That's why I played very well today."

Kang had an eagle on the 14th, when he chipped in from 25 yards, as he played the par fives in four under.

England's Justin Rose shot a 72 on the South Course where fellow Europeans Alex Cejka and Jesper Parnevik shot 74 and 75 respectively.