Woods plays steady in Dhabi
Share with others:
No momentous shots for Tiger Woods. No bogeys, either.
The 14-time major winner opened his 2012 season with a solid first round at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in the United Arab Emirates, shooting a 2-under 70 that left him three strokes behind co-leader Rory McIlroy, his playing partner.
"Hit the ball well all day today. It was a good ball-striking round," Woods said. "I had a hard time reading the greens out there. The greens were pretty grainy and I just had a hard time getting a feel for it. Toward the end I hit some pretty good putts but overall I got fooled a lot on my reads."
McIlroy shot a 67, as did Robert Karlsson. But the best shots of the day came from Sergio Garcia (71) and Jose Manuel Lara (70) -- each had a hole in one on the par-3 12th hole.
Gareth Maybin, Richard Finch and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet were one shot behind the two leaders.
McIlroy, the U.S. Open champion from Northern Ireland, had three birdies on his first four holes but erratic driving led to two bogeys on the next four. He steadied himself with three birdies on his back nine, including a chip-in on No. 8.
"It's a nice way to start the competitive season, I suppose," McIlroy said. "I didn't feel like I played that good. I definitely didn't strike the ball as good as I have been the last couple of weeks. I think it's just because your first competitive round of the season, you can get a little tentative or a little apprehensive."
Woods missed several birdie chances, including a 6-footer on his ninth, the 18th hole. He also struggled with his approach shots on a course that was playing tougher than usual with its thick rough, resulting in many 25- and 30-footers coming up short.
McIlroy calls Woods a friend and chatted with him much of the day. He said he didn't take any satisfaction in beating him in the first round.
"If it was the last day of the tournament and you're both going in there with a chance to win, I would take a lot of pride from that, obviously," said McIlroy, who as a teenager followed Woods during a Dubai tournament when he played as an amateur in 2006 and '07.
Coming off a seven-week layoff, Woods has said he is fitter than he has been in years and brimming with confidence after his victory at the Chevron World Challenge last month. That ended a two-year run without a win. Before last month's win, Woods finished third at the Australian Open, and then delivered the clinching point for the American team in the Presidents Cup.
• Farmers Insurance Open: Spencer Levin and Kyle Stanley knew they had to post low scores on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines in near San Diego to get off to a good start. It went even better than they expected. Stanley made eagle on his final hole for a 10-under 62, his best score in two years on the PGA Tour. Levin shot 29 on the back nine and also had a 62, matching his career best on tour. They were a shot ahead of FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas, who had a double bogey on his 15th hole.
First Published January 27, 2012 12:00 am
