Putts not dropping for Tiger

Despite launching a number of what he called “beautiful putts”, Tiger Woods found himself six shots off the pace on day one of the Masters.

The former world number one, who now stands seventh in the rankings having not won a tournament for 17 months, hit a one-under-par 71 at Augusta.

Woods reckoned he probably could have trimmed two or three strokes off his total but claimed he was out of luck on the greens.

“I hit a lot of beautiful putts,” he said. “And they were just skirting the edge. I was hitting my lines and they just weren’t going in. I felt really comfortable with it. So hopefully they will start going in.

“I hit a couple bad ones, but overall felt really good over the putts. Realistically the round probably should have been 68, 69.”

Woods nevertheless said he was happy with round overall as he seeks what would be a 15th major success.

Long grind

“It’s a long way to go. We have a long grind ahead of us,” he said. “The temperature’s supposed to warm up and I’m sure they will start making the pins a little more difficult as the week goes on.

“I’m very pleased. I’m right there in the ball game. I’m only six back and we’ve got a lot of golf ahead of us.”

Woods birdied the par-three sixth and parred the rest of the front nine, but began the back nine with back-to-back bogeys.

He responded with birdies at the par-5 13th and par-4 14th.

“Couple slip-ups there at 10 and 11 and then got it going on 13, 14,” Woods added. “Fourteen was nice. I still don’t know how my ball stopped there. I hit a terrible tee shot and a five-iron and it landed right there and stopped and I made a bomb.”

Saving par at the par-three 12th, in the middle of infamous Amen Corner, also came as a relief for Woods.

“I had just bogeyed 10 and 11 and it was nice to make that putt at 12 and get something going,” he added.