Tiger Woods returns with an encouraging opening round at Farmers Insurance Open

Tiger Woods was neither terrific nor awful Thursday at Torrey Pines — and an opening-round even-par 72 in the Farmers Insurance Open was about as good a score as even the most rabid fan of the 14-time major champion could have anticipated.

Playing the South Course at a venue where he has eight professional wins, Woods showed some rust, which even Tiger suggested ahead of the tourney would be there in his first official PGA Tour start in a year.

“My expectations have tempered a little bit because I haven’t played,” Woods said in a Wednesday press conference. “I don’t know what to expect … I’m going to grind it, give it everything I possibly have, try and put the ball in the right position, make some putts, and try to work my way up the board.”

Woods, of course, is returning from fusion surgery — his fourth back procedure since March 2014. He hopes to make it to the weekend at Torrey after missing the cut last year at the Farmers following a 16-month hiatus, but he’ll need to go low to ensure a Saturday tee time.

Starting on the first tee and playing in front of the usual crazy melange of frenzied Tiger boosters, the man of the hour could be forgiven for having a case of nerves, which were on display as he immediately found the left rough with an errant opening drive. A missed 14-foot par putt got Woods off to a shaggy start to his latest comeback.

There were certainly hopeful signs, as Woods seemed to be over the chipping yips that showed here in a start three years ago. His swing speed was also impressive, as long-time Tiger watcher (and critic) Brandel Chamblee noted that “the snap is back.”

Woods was out of sync again on the fifth hole, where he went from fairway bunker to green-side sand, missed a 15-footer for par, and carded his second bogey of the day. Cursing ensued.

Tiger bounced right back at No. 6, where he faced an eagle putt after an excellent approach from 234 yards. Though he missed a 52-footer for the three, he did make the first birdie of his 2018 campaign, complete with a signature raised short stick when it appeared the eagle putt would drop.

A vintage Woods shot from the bunker at the seventh helped him save par, which he did as well following another lovely wedge shot on No. 8 after chopping his club through the air in anger when his tee shot flew the green.

Another par at the ninth and Tiger made the turn at 1-over 37.

Woods showed off more wedge artistry on the 10th and had his second birdie of the round to get to even-par.

Tiger channeled Hideki Matsuyama (king of the disgusted reaction to a stellar shot) on the 12th, when he dropped his club in frustration on the tee, only to look up and smile when he saw that his drive had split the fairway and traveled some 316 yards.

There were more fireworks to come, as Woods authored the shot of the day when he nearly canned his tee shot on the par-3 16th. A tap-in for birdie and he was back to even-par. “It looked good from the tee but we can’t see anything land from back there,” Woods said after the round. “Felt good, looked good, and listened for some noise,” he said about the shot, joking that “the wind got it” when the ball skirted the cup.

A par-par finish put Woods at even for the day — tied with a slew of players in 87th place and seven shots shy of 18-hole leader Tony Finau. So, many positives for the 42-year-old former world No. 1, but still much work to do to avoid back-to-back MCs at a course he dominated for so many years.