Tiger struggles, Rose sets pace

SAN DIEGO - Tiger Woods produced the good, the bad and the ugly in his first PGA Tour start in 17 months Thursday while Olympic champion Justin Rose set the early pace in the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open. Back in the familiar surroundings of Torrey Pines outside San Diego where he has won eight tournaments as a professional, Woods scrambled well on his front nine and made two early birdies after the turn before badly losing steam on the way to a four-over 76 on the South Course. While Rose eagled two of the four par-fives on the easier North layout to move one ahead of the field with a sparkling seven-under 65, Woods dropped six shots in six holes from the 12th to end the day 11 strokes off the pace. It was the 41-year-old’s highest opening round to begin a PGA Tour season since he turned professional in 1996. Watched by huge galleries, Woods made a faltering start with an opening bogey after setting off in the company of world No. 1 Jason Day and third-ranked Dustin Johnson. After finding the right rough off the tee at the par-four first, he missed the green to the right with his approach and failed to get up and down in two. Though he flared several iron shots to the right on the outward nine, Woods used his renowned scrambling abilities to save pars from several unpromising positions to reach the turn in one-over 37. He gave fans something to celebrate with birdies at the 10th and 11th but his round unraveled over the next four holes. Wayward tee shots led to bogeys at the 12th, 13th and 14th and Woods ran up a double at the 15th after hooking his drive into a hazard. He missed a five-foot putt to bogey the par-four 17th before signing off with a nine-footer to birdie the last.

Lincicome leaps into lead

In Miami, American Brittany Lincicome fired a tournament record nine-under par 64 Thursday to grab a two-stroke lead after round one of the LPGA Pure Silk Bahamas Classic, the tour’s 2017 season opener. Lincicome made seven birdies and eagled the par-5 seventh hole in a bogey-free tour of the Ocean Club course on Paradise Island, her lowest round since a 64 at the 2011 ShopRite Classic and one shot below the old mark she matched in the 2016 last round on her way to sharing eighth. Thailand’s P.K. Kongkraphan and Americans Stacy Lewis and Megan Khang shared second on 66 with China’s Feng Simin, France’s Celine Herbin and American Gerina Piller on 67. World No. 45 Lincicome birdied the second hole and began a run of three consecutive birdies at the par-5 fourth before her eagle at seven. She birdied the par-5 11th and 15th holes around another birdie at 14 then closed with three pars to equal the course record as well as set a new event mark. US teen Khang, another back nine starter, birdied the par-5 11th and 13th then began a run of three birdies in a row at the par-5 18th. Birdies at the par-5 fourth and par-4 eighth boosted her in a bogey-free start. - Agencies