• Frys.com Open

Woods slams 'the worst putting round I've ever had'

Tiger Woods' frustrations were clear after his putter let him down during round one of the Frys.com Open © PA Photos

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Tiger Woods bemoaned the worst putting display of his career after he posted a poor opening round at the Frys.com Open on Thursday.

The former world No. 1 had hoped to lay down a marker in his first PGA Tour appearance for almost two months. However, a two-over-par 73 left him six shots off the pace and in danger of missing the cut.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it was the American's form around the greens that cost him in California, missing three putts within five feet of the hole. Combined with a short game that visited six bunkers, Woods was a shadow of the player who won 14 majors, and he candidly berated himself in his post-round interview.

"That's probably one of the worst putting rounds I've ever had," Woods said. "I can't putt the ball worse than I did today."

Woods' struggles left him six strokes adrift of early leader, Texas Open winner Brendan Steele. On paper a tally of 27 putts in the round does not appear disgraceful, but it was the nature of the misses that really played tricks with the mind of the former world No. 1.

"I just had a hard time hitting my stroke, and then I started altering it," Woods explained. "And it was all over the place. I think I'm going to go put some lead tape on it and see if I can get maybe a little bit more mass. It's always worked in the past.

"My stroke got worse because I was trying to [adjust], and then, you know, I started losing confidence in it because I wasn't hitting my line. So it was just a downward spiral.

"The rest of the game was not too bad. I hit some bad shots, yes. But also I hit some really good ones. And I was very pleased at the shots I was hitting most of the day.

"But I got nothing out of the round on the greens. And whatever momentum I could have gotten by hitting good shots, I just missed putts."

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