Tiger Woods loves St. Andrews. The Old Course is his favorite in all of golf.
But during the first round of the 150th playing of the Open Championship, the course didn’t quite love him back. Woods, who has won two of his three Opens at the Home of Golf, struggled his way to a 6-over 78 during a marathon round that lasted 6 hours and 10 minutes and left groups sitting and waiting.
The 15-time major champion made a double bogey on the first hole and added two bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4, plus another double on No. 7, before making his first birdie of the round on No. 9. Woods, who made the turn at 5-over 41, added a second consecutive birdie on No. 10 but lost his momentum with a bad bogey on the par-3 11th.
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He finished the round with two more bogeys on Nos. 13 and 16 and a birdie on No. 14 before making par on two of the most iconic holes in golf, the Road Hole 17th and finishing 18th.
Woods, Max Homa and Matt Fitzpatrick begin their second round at 4:58 a.m. ET Friday morning.