Woods, playing his first full-field PGA Tour event since returning from more than a year off with a back injury, carded a bogey-strewn opening round on the Torrey Pines Golf Club's South Course yesterday.
It was anything but a happy return to the challenging coastal layout outside San Diego where the former world number one has won no fewer than eight times in his career, most notably his epic 2008 US Open victory.
The 41-year-old's round unravelled during the back nine, when three consecutive bogeys starting on the 12th were capped with a double-bogey on the 15th.
A further bogey on the 17th left him facing the prospect of finishing five over before a birdie on the last -- nervelessly draining an awkward eight-foot putt -- reduced the damage.
Also Read
The round left Woods 11 shots off the early leader, England's Justin Rose, who posted a seven-under-par 65 earlier Thursday.
Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, produced an eagle on his last hole after a blistering back nine on Torrey Pines' North Course.
But a birdie on the North Course's par-four first -- his 10th of the day -- launched a low-scoring back nine, with an eagle three on the par-five fifth followed by back-to-back birdies.
"Great start to the tournament," said a satisfied Rose.
"The key to the round was having four eagle putts. I hit all the par fives in two so managed to convert two of those," added Rose, citing his barnstorming closing eagle as the highlight of the round.
- Good golf -
=============
Canada's Adam Hadwin, fresh from a second placed finish at La Quinta last weekend which included a rare 59, was a shot back after carding a six-under-par 66.
The 29-year-old launched his round with a birdie on the first before adding two more on the sixth and eighth holes to reach the turn at three under.
A blemish on the par-four 12th, where he missed an 11-foot putt to bogey was soon overcome with a trio of birdies on the next three holes.
"I'm just playing some good golf right now," Hadwin said, admitting he was still smarting from his failure to close out victory in La Quinta on Sunday.
"A little disappointed I couldn't pull it off, but (I) went back out and kind of got started where I left off last week."
Lurking behind Hadwin on five under were a group of five players, Gary Woodland, Charles Howell III, Beau Hossler, Trey Mullinax and Brad Fritsch of Canada, who all carded 67s.
A group of 11 players were a further shot back.