PINEHURST, N.C. — Tiger Woods looked the part on Thursday in his U.S. Open first round at Pinehurst No. 2.
He hit 12 of 14 fairways and his swing looked sound.
But Woods, a three-time U.S. Open winner, couldn’t take advantage of his strong position off the tee because he failed to hit enough greens in regulation or make enough putts and he finished with a 4-over-par 74.
At the time his round was completed, Woods was in a tie for 54th.
He started the round strong with a birdie on the 10th hole, his first of the day.
Woods cruised for a bit from there and then went on a bogey skid, beginning on Nos. 16 and 17, two holes that put him 1-over par for the day.
His round got no better after he turned to the front nine, with bogeys on Nos. 1, 2 and 4, and suddenly his score had leaked to 4-over par.
Woods got one back on the par-5 fifth hole with a birdie to get to 3-over, but he gave it back with a bogey on the eighth hole.
Woods’ biggest issue was his second-shot accuracy as he hit only 9 of 18 greens in regulation.
He, too, took 32 putts in the round, failing to get up-and-down from some manageable distances on several holes.