Woods opens with 72 at Augusta

Augusta, GA – Four-time champion Tiger Woods bogeyed his final two holes Thursday en route to an even-par 72 in the first round of the Masters.

Woods, who has tied for fourth place the last two years, was three strokes behind the clubhouse leaders when he walked off the course.

Woods hit back-to-back drives well left on the final two holes. He managed to get his second in front of the 17th green, but failed to get up and down for par to dip to minus-one.

At the last, Woods took this second unplayable lie penalty of the round. He knocked his third left of the green, then played his fourth to four feet. Woods rolled in the bogey putt for his 72.

"I hit some of the worst golf shots I've ever hit today. I just hung in there, grinded my way around the golf course, and stayed very a patient, stayed in the moment," Woods stated in a TV interview.

"Fortunately, that's about as good I got right there. Maybe, I could have shot one or two better, but I got a lot out of that round."

The 36-year-old Woods also drove well left off both of the first two tees. However, he scrambled for par on both holes. He got on the board with a birdie at the par-four third.

"I just wanted to keep grinding, whatever it is, I just wanted to keep fighting," said Woods in a televised interview of his pars at one and two.

Woods, who broke a long winless drought at Bay Hill two weeks ago, tripped to a bogey on the seventh. He fought right back with birdie on the par-five eighth.

Around the turn, Woods converted a birdie try at the 10th to move to two- under. He cruised through Amen Corner as he ran off six consecutive pars from the 11th.

Then trouble hit at 17 and 18.

Woods had broken par in the first round each of the last three Masters, and has opened with 72 or better five straight years now.

In his 16 starts at the Masters as a professional, Woods' scoring average for the first round stands at 71.94.