Woods suffers nightmare start at St Andrews | 'I need 66 tomorrow'

Tiger Woods' bid for a historic 16th major title and third St Andrews success has turned into an unlikely battle just to make the cut after a disappointing opening day at The 150th Open.

Woods said ahead of the final men's major of the year he wanted "at least one more run" on the historic Old Course, the venue where he completed the career Grand Slam in 2000 and won in 2005, although struggled from the outset as he stuttered to a six-over 78.

The three-time Champion Golfer of the Year, playing in just his third competitive event since last February's car crash, mixed three birdies with five bogeys and two double-bogeys to leave just seven players below him in the 156-man field and put him 14 strokes behind early leader Cameron Young.

"Probably highest score as I could have shot," said Woods. "Didn't get off to a great start. Hit a good tee shot down 1,ended up right in the middle of a fresh divot. And I hit a good shot. Wind gusts hit it and ended up in the burn, and start off with a W.

"So I think I had maybe four or five 3-putts today. Just wasn't very good on the greens. And every putt I left short. I struggled with hitting the putts hard enough. They looked faster than what they were putting, and I struggled with it.

"It feels like I didn't really hit it that bad. Yes, I did have bad speed on the greens, yes. But I didn't really feel like I hit it that bad but I ended up in bad spots. Or just had some weird things happen.

"And just the way it goes. Links is like that. And this golf course is like that. And as I said, I had my chances to turn it around and get it rolling the right way and I didn't do it."

Woods' hopes of a fairy-tale success suffered a nightmare start when he found water with his approach into the