Woods shoots 74 in 1st round at Quail Hollow

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Tiger Woods delivered a few memorable shots of his own Thursday at Quail Hollow on a pleasant day that produced birdies and eagles and plenty of excitement.

It’s just not what he had in mind.

He hit a tee shot into the water on the par-3 17th that produced little reaction except to hold out his hand for another ball. He hit his next tee shot into the water and had to scramble for bogey. And he wound up with a 2-over 74 that left him nine shots behind Bo Van Pelt and ended his streak of 21 straight rounds at par or better.

“I hit a bunch of balls left, I hit a bunch of balls right, hit a few down the middle,” Woods said. “And that was about it.”

For everyone else — Masters champion Phil Mickelson included with his 70 — there was so much more.

Mickelson had a severe stomach ailment that forced him to withdraw from the pro-am Wednesday, and he started feeling it when he climbed the steep hill to the 15th green. He two-putted for birdie to reach 4 under for his round, only to three-putt from the fringe on the 17th and made another bogey from the trees on the 18th.

“I may have run out of energy there toward the end, but I hit some good shots and was able to shoot a decent round,” Mickelson said.

Van Pelt is using an old putter that he had refurbished, and he already got strong results in Hilton Head two weeks ago with a tie for third, his best finish of the year. The opening round of the Quail Hollow Championship was even better, as Van Pelt made birdie on all the par 5s and made it through the tough closing stretch with all pars.

Kenny Perry shot a 66 and didn’t let the finish ruin his day. After a flawless shot into 8 feet for eagle on the par-5 seventh, he hit his drive 35 yards short of the green on the par-4 eighth and had an open angle at the pin. But he didn’t commit to the delicate wedge, and the ball rolled back to his feet. That turned potential birdie — and the outright lead — into a bogey.

“One little blunder,” Perry said. “But it was a fun round of golf. It’s been a long time since I’ve played like that.”

Camilo Villegas played bogey-free for a 67, while the group at 68 featured a collection of players that included former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.