Woods shoots 73; Norman at 69

Hennie Otto of South Africa was the early leader, with a 68.
SANDWICH, England (AP) -- Tiger Woods was lost in the rough. Greg Norman was lost in time.
Woods couldn't find his ball Thursday after his very first shot of the British Open, winding up with a triple-bogey. Not exactly the way to start when you're trying to break an 0-for-4 slump in the majors, but the world's best player managed to pull himself together.
"I had 17 holes to get it back," said Woods, who controlled the damage with a 2-over-par 73. "At least I got one back."
He was five strokes behind the surprising early leader. South African Hennie Otto, a qualifier playing in the first group of the day, made several long putts on the way to a 68 at blustery Royal St. George's.
Then came Norman, who played as if it was 1993 all over again. The 48-year-old Shark, bothered most of the year by a back injury, turned in a 69 on the same course where he won the British Open a decade ago.
Norman hasn't won a tournament since 1998 and he's played just two PGA Tour events this year. He was feeling no pain, making an eagle at No. 4 and scrambling to keep his score low.
"I am very relaxed and putting well, considering this is only the third golf tournament in a year," Norman said. "I'm very satisfied."
Davis Love shoots 69
Norman was joined at 69 by Davis Love III. Defending champion Ernie Els, playing in the afternoon, was 1 over through five holes as he tried to become the first repeat winner since Tom Watson in 1982-83.
The Big Easy teed off into the rough at treacherous No. 1, but at least he could find the ball. Not so for Woods, who doesn't have possession of any major title for the first time since 1999.
He pushed his opening tee shot into the ankle-deep rough along the right side of the fairway. About 25 people -- including playing partners Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald -- poked through the grass, but they couldn't find the ball.
"Did you guys see where it went?" Woods asked futilely.
When the five-minute time limit expired, he pulled his driver out of the bag again, unleashed an expletive and hopped in a cart for the long, lonely ride back to the tee.
His next shot -- actually, his third after taking a one-stroke penalty -- wasn't much better, sailing into the same rough where marshals were still looking for the first ball.
This time, Woods didn't have any trouble locating the ball, but all he could do was hack it through the fairway, winding up near some television cables on the left side.
Woods finally reached the green with a wedge, but an 18-foot putt came up short. He tapped in for a 7 and walked off the green muttering to himself.
Another bad stretch
Woods ran into another tough stretch beginning at No. 12, where an attempt to escape a deep pot bunker caught the embankment and ricocheted straight left. He wound up making the first of three straight bogeys.
"On a golf course like this, with the wind blowing as hard as it is, it really tests you," Woods said. "You just have to stay calm, bear down and try to hit every shot."
His score soared as high as 4 over, but lengthy birdie putts at 15 and 16 kept him within sight of the leaders.
"If I can drive it a little bit better, I like the way I'm playing overall," Woods said. "I hit some good drives coming in. That's a good sign. Hopefully it will carry into tomorrow's round."
Overnight rain softened this course near the English Channel, which was baked by a sweltering heat earlier in the week. The sun returned in the afternoon and the wind kicked up, quickly drying things out again.
Norman certainly feels comfortable at Royal St. George's, where he captured his second British Open title in 1993 by shooting a final-round 64.
And here's some consolation for Woods: Norman opened with a double bogey 10 years ago.
The Aussie's best shot of this day came at the par-5 fourth, when he punched a 4-iron to within 6 inches of the cup for a tap-in eagle.
Montgomerie out
At the opposite end of the spectrum: Colin Montgomerie and Jerry Kelly.
Monty pulled out after playing just seven holes, having injured a hand and his knees after falling on the way to breakfast. He was driven off the course for X-rays while playing partners Brad Faxon and Steve Elkington carried on.
Kelly probably felt like quitting after his adventure at No. 1.
The American yanked his tee shot into the left rough, where his second attempt to get it out flew into the tall grass on the right side. From there, he hacked at the ball four times without success, finally taking a one-stroke penalty for an unplayable lie.
After the drop, Kelly's ninth shot flew over the green, then he chipped to 25 feet. He rolled in the long putt for 11, drawing a big cheer from the crowd.
"Go get 'em, Jerry!" someone yelled.
Kelly smirked and said quietly, "Yeah."
"It was a little surreal," he added after shooting 86. "My eyes were spinning."
Watson, the 53-year-old five-time British champion, was 3 under with two holes to play. But a double-bogey and bogey left him with a 71.
"That was an ugly finish," said Watson, who has missed the cut four of the last five years.