Tiger Woods looks to 'inch my way back' at Masters after opening 74

AUGUSTA, Ga. — By the time Tiger Woods' bogey putt on the 18th green dropped, the bright white-colored shirt he had started the day with had taken on an entirely different shade.

After a hot day in thick Georgia air, five bogeys and three birdies, a sweat-drenched Woods finished a 2-over opening round of 74 and tried his best to look at the rest of his tournament through rose-colored glasses.

«Today was the opportune time to get the round under par, and I didn't do that,» Woods said. «Most of the guys are going low today. This was the day to do it. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be a little bit better, a little bit sharper and kind of inch my way through it. This is going to be an interesting finish to the tournament with the weather coming in. If I can just kind of hang in there, maybe kind of inch my way back.»

Unlike last year, when Woods' surprise return to the Masters just 14 months after his car accident resulted in an opening-round 71 and a made cut, this year's first round never found a true rhythm.

On the front nine, Woods' putter was his nemesis as he missed three short par putts and carded three bogeys. But to hear the five-time champion describe the issue, Woods was more concerned with his iron play after hitting 10 of 14 fairways.

«I didn't have very good speed early,» Woods said. «I had two 3-putts and consequently a couple over par, but I didn't hit my irons close enough today. I didn't give myself very good looks.»

All day long, Woods was unable to give himself makeable putts, often sitting outside of 10 feet for birdie. On 15, he read a 27-foot, left-to-right putt perfectly and sank it in the center of the cup to surface back at 2-over. He followed that up with a dart on 16 to hit his second straight birdie