Tiger Woods struggles in season debut at 2014 Farmers Insurance Open

Tiger Woods started his 2014 season, one billed as the most important of his career, with a shaky and underwhelming first round Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open. Woods had not played at a competitive tourney since his own limited-field World Challenge event in early December, and he did not look sharp at a Torrey Pines South Course that he’s owned his entire career.

Woods was a bit erratic off the tee, not crisp with his irons, and sloppy around the greens with his wedges.

The day started in promising enough fashion, when Tiger dropped a dart on top of the pin at the second hole of the South Course. It was his first birdie of the new season, and you thought we’d be off and running at a venue where he’s so comfortable and often races out to the lead before the weekend. But he would scuffle through the remainder of his outward nine.

Tiger gave a shot back on No. 5, when he made a poor approach attempt, leaving it in the front greenside bunker. But he was even worse with the sand wedge in hand, barely getting it out of the bunker and dribbling the ball just onto the green, where he could not convert a 15-foot par-saving putt. Woods was promptly back to even, but he still had two good birdie chances ahead of him at the front 9 par-5s.

Tiger’s most reliable route to victory, particularly at Torrey, is by dominating the par-5s. His birdie and eagle percentages on the par-5s, as Emily Kay outlined this week, are astonishing. But Woods made two disappointing pars to stay at even. The first came at No. 6, and the second came at No. 9, following a wayward tee shot that prompted the patented Tiger follow-through of disgust:

Some of the passes at the ball off the tee had Brandel Chamblee state on Golf Channel’s postgame show that Woods was swinging like a “55-year-old man.”

The shaky form continued on the back side at Torrey South, when Woods gave another shot away at the par-3 11th. His tee shot was short and right from the start, as Tiger got up and under it and once again left it in a greenside bunker. The sand wedge was again weak and he failed to get the ball up a tier to the hole location and could not save par. The seven-time Farmers Insurance Open winner also had trouble judging the speed of the greens on the front side, but he made two solid putts, one to save at No. 12 (causing Tiger to actually smile) and then another to get back to even with a lengthy birdie at No. 14 (via PGATour):

But again Tiger was not sharp on the par-5s and squandered those opportunities, particularly at No. 18 where he may have hit his worst shot of the day on his approach into the green. With wedge in hand, Tiger got stuck with the swing and left his ball way short of the pin in the middle of the putting surface. The shot came from a distance where he should be all over the flag. That poor wedge led to another disappointing par and another disgusted reaction.

Of course, all is not lost for Woods, who will now get to feast on the much shorter and easier North Course at Torrey. He’ll start Friday eight shots back of Stewart Cink, but there will be multiple chances for eagles and birdies on the gettable North layout. Only one player in the top 10, Pat Perez, played the tougher South Course on Thursday. Tiger will have his chances to make his run to that top 10 and be in position before the weekend arrives in La Jolla.

Here’s where the full field stands after 18 holes (North/South course designation in parentheses):

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