PINEHURST, N.C. — Tiger Woods kicked off the U.S. Open with a birdie on Thursday, propelling him into the red and to the top of the leaderboard, reminiscent of when he first played the national championship at Pinehurst No. 2 25 years ago as a rising star.
The following 17 holes highlighted the contrast between the player he used to be and the player he is today.
Woods displayed exceptional driving skills, navigating narrow fairways surrounded by native grasses and sinking a couple of long putts to save pars. However, he also hit many errant iron shots on a course that demands precision, and his finesse around the greens failed him multiple times, resulting in a 4-over 74 in the first round.
It marked his 12th consecutive round without scoring below par in a major, plagued by five bogeys in a seven-hole stretch.
“I was somewhat conservative in certain areas of my game. However, I didn’t strike the ball as well as I had hoped,” Woods explained, hitting 12 of 14 fairways but only half of the greens. “I wasn’t in the positions I wanted to be in on many holes.”
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To be fair, the renowned Donald Ross layout can at times be almost unfair.
Woods hit several shots that would have been promising birdie opportunities elsewhere, but they rolled off the undulating greens and settled in collection areas. This was evident at the par-3 ninth, his final hole of the day, where his approach seemed safe, only to roll off the green, resulting in a challenging pitch-and-putt par save.
“Getting the ball close is tough,” Woods remarked. “Most golf courses have shots that feed off slopes towards flags, but here, everything repels. It’s challenging to get the ball on top of the shelves.
“If you miss short-sided, it’s almost an automatic bogey or worse.”
Despite avoiding high scores on Thursday, Woods’ round could have easily been even par or better, keeping the three-time U.S. Open champion in contention to make the cut. This was an improvement from his previous outing at the PGA Championship in Valhalla, where two triple bogeys prevented him from playing the weekend.
Additionally, Woods’ body, which has often failed him in recent years, seemed to hold up well during the U.S. Open.
Woods, who skipped the last U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 2014 due to recovery from back surgery, showed little discomfort as he played his round. The relatively flat course, in comparison to Augusta National, aided his performance, along with the hot and humid weather keeping his joints limber.
With an early tee time, Woods had nearly 24 hours to recuperate for Friday’s round.
“I hope I don’t get too stiff from the car ride back. I tend to get stiff in air conditioning,” Woods said, heading straight to the driving range after his round to work on his inconsistent iron shots.
He probably anticipated that they might pose a challenge.
“At the beginning of the week, I was pretty one-dimensional, drawing the ball a lot. Now I’m fading the ball a lot,” Woods noted, smiling wryly. “That’s golf for you.”
Welcome to inconsistency, possibly stemming from infrequent play.
Woods had not played a U.S. Open round since Winged Foot in 2020, primarily due to his numerous injuries — five back surgeries, four knee surgeries, and the reconstructive surgery on his right leg and ankle after his 2021 car accident.
“Physically, I’m improving as the year progresses. However, I haven’t been playing as much to avoid injury before major championships,” Woods explained. “It’s a trade-off. Play more with the risk of injury, or play less and battle with not being as sharp.”
Woods expressed his hope that his body will allow him to play more frequently.
Participating in this weekend’s rounds would be a positive step.
