Tiger Woods, pleased with a new mallet putter he used competitively for the first time, fired a level-par 70 in the opening round of the US PGA Quicken Loans National.
But the 14-time major champion, playing his 11th event in a comeback year after spinal fusion surgery, stood seven strokes behind co-leaders Andrew Landry and J.J. Spaun after 18 holes at TPC Potomac.
Woods, unhappy with his putting since sharing 32nd at the Masters, began practising last week with the new Ardmore putter and used it to replace his Scotty Cameron putter, the one that he used to win 13 major titles and in his latest return after years of back pain.
"I rolled it well. I really did," Woods said. "I hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in. I hit a lot of nice putts. It was nice to feel that again and to feel them go in."
"I shot about the score I should have shot," Woods said. "I didn't have anything going for the whole round. I was hanging in there and hanging in there."
"Whenever I had scoring clubs in my hand, I definitely capitalized. Played really well. Hit my irons really well and that was the key of the entire day, just leaving myself opportunities."
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