Tiger Woods unable to tame windy conditions, shoots first-round 78 at The Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Tiger Woods was on the wrong side of the draw — and often the wrong side of the holes — during the first round of the 150th Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews on Thursday.

Playing in the afternoon wave, which had windier and much more difficult conditions than the morning group, Woods carded a 6-over 78. He was 14 shots behind leader Cameron Young after 18 holes.

It was a disappointing beginning for Woods, who is playing in only his third official tournament this season. He had hoped to contend at St. Andrews, where he won The Open in 2000 and 2005. He was also hoping his surgically repaired right leg would be stronger, less than 17 months after he was seriously injured in a car crash outside Los Angeles in February 2021.

Woods, 46, will have fewer than 12 hours to recover and prepare for Friday's second round. Woods, U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and Max Homa are scheduled to tee off at 4:58 a.m. ET Friday.

After struggling mightily on the first eight holes and starting 6 over, Woods started to turn things around on the short par-4 ninth. He drove his 379-yard tee shot through the green, chipped to about 8 feet and made a birdie putt to move to 5 over. Walking off the green, Woods smiled, licked his finger and motioned it like a slam dunk.

Woods made another birdie on the par-4 10th hole. After knocking his tee shot 306 yards down the middle of the fairway, his approach shot to about 3 feet was his best of the round. He sank a birdie putt to improve to 4 over. Woods gave back one shot, however, on the par-3 11th hole, when his 9-foot par putt slid past the hole. He made another bogey with a three-putt on the par-4 13th.

Woods' best hole might have been the par-5, 616-yard