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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Nineteen years ago, Tiger Woods gave the impression that golf was easy when the American Open was played at Pebble Beach. Thursday was tough because Woods needed several scrolls just to stay within striking distance after the first round of the 119th edition of the US Open.
After playing the top nine in a sub-two, including a double bogey on the fifth-third, Woods played the second tied, eliminating putts over 30 feet to keep his score card in red numbers. He will start the second round with five shots behind Justin Rose, who shot a 6 under 65 on Thursday.
"It was typical of Pebble Beach, where the first seven holes are accessible, then you fight and hang on," Woods said. "I proved it today. I went there early and I had to fight in the middle of the round and I stayed suspended with peers. I am very happy to shoot under normal today. "
Woods, who won his 15th major at the Masters, but missed the PGA Championship Cup at Bethpage, went 5-foot for a birdie at the fourth hole of the 4-par, but scored a double when his tee shot at par 3 fifth went left and bounced on a trolley road. He responded with birdies at the sixth and seventh par-5, where he made 23 feet.
He made a 30-foot effort to save the normal at 14th of the normal 5, and jumped out of the bunker to make a 7-foot for par in the 17th. He closed with his 10th consecutive victory in the 18th after his second shot landed in the bunker to the left of the green.
"I did not hit my irons as well as I would have liked," Woods said. "I tried to miss the ball in the right places and a few times, I had shims in hand, I threw it in the center of the green and I moved on to something else."
Woods is much better physically and mentally than at Bethpage, where he looked tired and rusty. He will have to play better than he did Thursday to follow the pack that seems ready to post more numbers in the second round of Friday.
"As I said, I played the first seven holes, except for my poor tee shot, and I did what I was supposed to do during those first seven holes, "said Woods. "And after that, I was hanging around hoping to make a birdie here and there. The only mistake that I made was probably at 14 years of trying to bring that ball back to the flag, and I cut it and I dropped my ball in the center of the putting green and I tried to do my bogey, but I managed to do a putt. "
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