Tiger Woods opens U.S. Open in 4-over 74 – PGA TOUR

Tiger Woods acknowledges the crowd after birdying his first hole of the day, the par-5 10th. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR)

Paul Hodowanic
13/06/2024

Tiger Woods’ first-round 74 at Pinehurst No. 2 on Thursday was similar to those he’s had in this season. There were glimpses of old form, shots that prove that Woods desire to achieve the 16th major isn’t beyond his reach. In the end, however, those flashes were eclipsed by a number of wrong shots, which served as a reminder that Woods isn’t yet shaken off all the rust that comes with competition.

Woods recorded two birdies and six bogeys on the way to an opening round of 4-over. The round started off well. A birdie on the 10th hole the first hole of the day put Woods ahead. He substantiated that birdie with the five pars he had in succession. Then he bogeyed at the 16th hole, and a second on the 17th. Then, his score contained five bogeys across seven holes. Woods his place at the highest position on the leaderboard was gone. Woods will work hard on Friday to get through the cut similar to what the course he played (successfully) during the Masters and (unsuccessfully) at the PGA Championship. Woods stated that he believes that he has the ability to take home the win. It will take a tremendous effort to make that happen occur this week.

“I’m physically getting better as the year has gone on,” Woods declared in the post-round. “I just haven’t been able to play as much because I just don’t want to hurt myself pre(tournament), then I won’t be able to play in the major championships. It’s pick your poison, right? Play a lot with the potential of not playing, or not playing and fight being not as sharp.”

Woods’ problems didn’t appear off the golf course. Woods hit fairways on 12 of 14 and gained strokes off the tee. an improvement following his struggles with the lengthy practice in Valhalla Golf Club. The issue was mostly with the approach game. He only managed to hit nine greens and, when he did locate the putt-making surface, it wasn’t an ideal location to make a statement. Seven of his nine birdies fell outside of 30 feet. Woods did not make any of the putts.

The discussion about Woods isn’t about his swing or declining ability. Top players in the game insist that the 15-time major winner is a formidable competitor in major championships. The question is Woods body’s ability to sustain for four days during major championships and whether he is able to shake off his competitive rust fast enough to remain in contention for the full 72 holes.

“I didn’t hit my irons particularly well. Didn’t putt that great. Drove it on the string all day. Unfortunately I just didn’t capitalize on it,” Woods declared.

Woods makes only his fourth start in this PGA TOUR season. Woods withdrew in his second day at The Genesis Invitational in February He made the cut, and was 60th in The Masters in April. He made 72-77, but missed making the cut for The PGA Championship last month.

Woods has tried everything, but failed to beat his two visits towards Pinehurst No. 2. Woods finished third at his 1999 U.S. Open, two more than Payne Stewart, and runner-up to Michael Campbell in the 2005 U.S. Open. Woods is still a long way away from achieving those results.

Here are updates on hole-by-hole of Woods the first round of his tournament:

12.50 p.m.: It’s the first round score of 74 for Woods who missed a hole on 17th. He was up and down for an 18-hole par hole to finish his round. Woods displayed glimpses of his top form, especially with his play off the tee, but his approach and short game wasn’t always efficient, which caused him to fall on a difficult golf course. Woods will be battling the cutline on Friday.

12.22 p.m.: Woods’ approach continues to be a struggle however, he’s not giving up. He missed his fairway at the 7th hole, but failed to hit another green. He hit his bunker shot up to 18 feet before sinking the par putt, which left him at three-over. Woods has hit only 9-of-16 greens in the first round.

12.02 p.m.: That’s the putter we saw at beginning of Woods round. The tee shot he hit on the par-3 6th hole was high, but he had no chance to stay on the fairway, bouncing over and creating a difficult pitch. Woods did a good job but he was left with at 12 feet before the ball was rolled into the hole, making it his longest putt since the fourth hole.

11.37 a.m.:Woods flashed one of those swings which have everyone thinking that a major 16th hole is feasible. After bogeying the tricky 4th hole Woods hit the fairway of the par-5 5th hole and hit a massive 4-iron that travelled 250 yards straight on the pin. It came to a stop about 30 feet off the pin and Woods almost missed the eagle. Woods settled for a birdiewhich was much needed after his streak of holes. Woods is struggling. Woods is currently 3-over and 14.

10.56 a.m.:The bogeys will be coming at the U.S. Open, you need to be careful to not to let it spiral. Woods made a bogey on the 11th hole the fourth time on five holes. He was and failed to make it up and down, after failing to hit the green. Woods chip sailed 8 feet wide and it was impossible for him to hit his par shot. After three putts that were that were 8 feet or less in the first four holes, Woods hasn’t hit a putt that was longer than three feet since. Woods made an eagle on hole three hole to temporarily stop his slide however he’ll need to master the feel of the putter in order to bring this round back on the right track. He’s lost about a shot on the greens this morning.

10.26 a.m.: Momentum isn’t on Woods his side at the moment. After closing out his front nine by bogeying two of the final three holes, Woods starts the second side with an eagle. The mistake was made on the greens. The player was in good spot in the fairway off the tee. He was in a good position and got to the green, though just 38 feet from the hole. He then putted three times to get five. He was cautious when he made his first putt which took a portion of the downslope, but ended 9 feet short of the hole. Confronted with a more slippery second shot, he misjudged the putt that started left, and then moved to the to the left. Woods is 2-over in 10 holes.

10.07 a.m.: It’ll be a 1-over-36 on Woods his opening nine. Woods was in the perfect spot from the tee and was 134 yards away from the pin however, his wedge hit the right side on the pin and spun off the hole. He put on a 32-foot birdie putt, and then put it into the hole for par. Woods began his round with a hot flatstick but struggled to maintain his momentum towards the end of the nine-iron outward. He’s hanging on tough however. If he keeps driving his way like he did, Woods will give himself ample birdie opportunities to end his round.

9.50 a.m.:Pinehurst comes at you fast. Woods discovers an open green at the 17th hole, par-3, but is too agressive in his speed. The first shot, which is about 50 feet away from the hole, is pushed back by 10 feet and leaves a difficult downhill par putt. After taking too excessively on the last 2 holes Woods isn’t playing enough. his putt slips off the hole. Woods takes care of one-over and drops to 1-over.

9:33 a.m.:If you want to see an example of the importance of being able to make sure you hit the fairway on the seventh hole, Woods’s 7th hole 16th hole is a great choice. Woods missed his fairway for the first time of the day, and failed to make the green in two. He sat about 75 yards short, and hit his shot short of the green, which left him with a 20-foot downhill shot for par. Woods put in a solid effort but took just little too much break. The first bogey he made of the day brings Woods to a par through seven holes.

918 a.m.: Woods is moving well. He is on the 15th hole, which measures 206 yards and is just 45 feet from. His birdie shot curves towards the hole, but is stopped one foot short. Another stress-free tap-in. Woods will play them throughout the day at Pinehurst No. 2. The idea of boredom is extremely beneficial.

9:02 a.m.:Woods is finding his rhythm. He makes contact with the fairway and follows it up with his best shot that day putting at 11 feet away from the green. He begins the birdie putt on the left side of the hole but it does not turn back in the right direction. Woods takes care to make it par. Woods is in second place with a score of 1-under.

8.45 a.m.:Woods finds the fairway on the par-4 13th, but his approach shot goes across the green which leaves a tricky up-and-down. The 13th hole is an interesting choice for golfers. Woods as well as teammates Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick hit iron from the green but there was no fairway hit. It measures 384 yards. hole isn’t playable today However, players can choose to blast driver to the maximum extent they can while trying their luck on the fairway or grass wire. Woods was cautious, but he could not hit the approach shot. His putt from behind green is lightning fast and it lands 8 feet beyond the hole. He hits the comebacker to earn par. He’s at 1-under through four because of his sluggish game.

8.29 a.m.:The driver isn’t an issue However, a noteworthy trend is developing in Woods the approach shot. After hitting his second shot at the fairway, on the par-4 12th hole, Woods puts his shot in the bunker, which is about 30 yards off and to the right from the hole. This is three straight shots which has ended up right on his goal. Woods wasn’t happy with the swing, knowing that it was a costly error. It’s an impressive effort by Woods to get it up to 10 feet before the drain the putter. The putter is good looking throughout three holes. Woods remains at 1-under.

8.10 a.m.: Another fairway Another green. Woods hit an iron off the tee, and comes across the middle of the fairway on the 11th, which is par-4. His approach leaves a lot unfinished, hitting the green’s front and dropping 65 feet of the hole. Woods is able to putt two times to par. He’s at 1-under after two holes.

7:51 a.m.:Woods’ approach to the par-5 10th hole fades left and then into the erratic wire grass surrounding the green. It will be a common theme for this week. What are the chances for players when they take a detour off the fairways? It could be clean with no problems or could cause disaster in the event that it encounters a small grassy tuft. Woods is not having any issues on this occasion, he can stand and lie are unimpeded and he is able to hit it 12 feet. He spits it out to make an opening birdie, and immediately jumps into the lead in a tie for first. What a great start.

7:32 a.m.:Woods is on the course and he’s got a great one in the middle. Woods is on the fairway at the 10th, which is his first hole of the day. The accuracy of his driving will be important this week across the entire field. The pinehurt greens are tough and it’s going to be a challenge to keep them in check when you are attempting to drive from a different location than the grass that is short.