Woods can't explain latest meltdown

Tiger Woods was at a loss to explain his latest struggles after an error-strewn return to competitive golf on Thursday at the Isleworth course he knows like the back of his hand.

The former world No 1 sputtered to a five-over 77 in the opening round of the Hero World Challenge that left the tournament host last in the 18-man field.

"I shot 80 a bunch of times here actually," said Woods, who estimates having played the course 500 times.

"Usually when it's a cold north wind and it's about 30 (Fahrenheit, - 1 Celsius) out. But not like this. Today was weird."

Playing in warm sun and in front of a friendly gallery on his former home course, Woods struggled with his tee shots and short game in a round that left him a staggering 11 strokes back of tournament leader Jordan Spieth.

It was far from how Woods had planned his first competitive round since shutting things down in August due to back issues.

Woods foreshadowed his round on the first tee as he stood in front of a massive sculpture of a charging bull before sending his first shot through the fairway of a dogleg right and just short of a pool in a former neighbor's yard.

Looking slimmer and less muscular than in recent years, and playing without pain, Woods had trouble controlling the ball. He did not hit his first fairway until the sixth.

His worst hole came at the par-four eighth.

Again he came close to an unscripted visit in his old neighborhood when his tee shot soared left, carried over trees and bounced off a metal fence fronting a home.

With a limited backswing, Woods tried to punch out but his ball ricocheted off a tree. As he walked away he backhanded his club against the fence, sounding a clank of frustration on the way to a double-bogey.

The pattern changed at the turn.

After finding only two fairways in his five-over 41 on the front side, Woods hit all seven fairways on the back nine.

Unfortunately, his short game deserted him.

"It certainly is surprising that I could hit chips that poorly," admitted the 14-time major winner, who flubbed three short approaches.

Woods, who turns 39 on Dec 30, has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open. He must become the first player to win four majors beyond his 39th birthday in order to match Nicklaus.

Woods ended up 11 strokes behind 21-year-old Spieth, who opened with a 66 after winning the Australian Open last week. He sank a 20-foot par putt at 18 to stay one in front of fellow Americans Rickie Fowler, Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson and Sweden's Henrik Stenson.

"It would have been tough to finish with bogey," said Spieth, who won a college event at Isleworth.

"It was nice to close that one out."

While Woods struck the ball with speed and power and showed no sign of the back pain that sidelined him most of the year, he was erratic off the tee at the start, sending his first three drives well left.

"I have zero pain," Woods said. "I haven't said that in a long time. It's nice to be able to launch it again."

One round will not make or break a comeback, but by hitting only nine of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens in regulation, Woods indicated any return to form will be a long and difficult journey.

"I made too many mistakes," he said.

Woods sent his first tee shot since August 8 out of bounds to the left on his way to a bogey.

He missed a 15-foot par putt at the par-3 second after another poor tee shot and rescued par at the par-5 third.

"I missed it on the wrong side a few times on the front nine," Woods said.

(China Daily 12/06/2014 page9)