If Tiger Woods’ first round of the new year was a harbinger of play to come, the former No. 1 player in the world will have a good chance to return to the apex of the game. Maybe.
Woods shot a 4-under 68 Wednesday at Torrey Pines to finish three shots behind leaders Brandt Snedeker and K.J. Choi in the Farmers Insurance Open. But he also missed three consecutive putts inside 12 feet at the close of his round, a shortcoming that was a part of his uneven play last season.
Still, the seven-time winner at Torrey Pines can hardly complain about a 68 on the south course. His fourth sand save of four opportunities on the par 5 No. 18 — which included a 6-foot putt to close the round — gave him a par, as he laid up on his second shot and fired a wedge over the green and into the back bunker.
“Last week’s conditions were a lot more difficult, and the fairways were narrow and the wind was howling,” Woods said, playing in California instead of Abu Dhabi, where he missed the cut last week. “I felt like I was doing a lot of good things right last week — unfortunately, only for a few days, but I was doing a lot of good things right. And I came out here today and basically did the same thing.”
Some of Woods’ short game adventures Thursday: He three-putted for double-bogey on the fourth hole. He made a 12-footer for birdie, an eagle by holing a bunker shot on the par-5 No. 6 and birdie putts on the eighth and ninth holes.
“I made a few mistakes out there, but I made some nice plays as well,” Woods said.
Sounds a lot like last season, when he won three times but went 0-for-4 in majors.
Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson did not fare as well on the north course, which was playing about 1-1/2 strokes easier Thursday. He shot an even par 72, seven shots back.
