Crowd left hungry for more after Tiger Woods makes a tasty start

Huge cheers roar around the course as the former world No1 shows flashes of brilliance to bag three birdies in his opening six holes
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David Smith19 July 2012

Tiger Woods stalked the course here today like the champion of old to stake his claim on the 141st Open Championship.

Woods won the third of his three Opens at Hoylake back in 2006, and since then the former world No1 has seen his career bunkered by scandal in his personal life and injuries in his professional career.

But on a perfect windless morning for low scoring, the 36-year-old ­American thrilled the huge galleries lining the Lancashire links here with three early birdies to take the lead on three under par, one shot ahead of Scotland’s Paul Lawrie and Adam Scott of Australia.

While Darren Clarke made a nightmare start to his defence of the Claret Jug with two bogeys in his first three holes, and Lee Westwood suffered a double bogey at third after opening with two birdies, Woods made a dream start to a tournament in which victory would take his career winnings to more than $100million.

Looking immaculate as ever in cream trousers and jumper with just a flash of colour from the collar of his pink polo shirt, Woods was straight down the barrel at the first, his tee shot running to seven feet of the pin.

The putt seemed to take an age to reach the hole but it dropped in off the left side to a loud roar from a packed gallery.

You could hear the cheers from every corner of the course three holes later when Woods was laser-accurate from 40ft for his second birdie. And another birdie at the sixth gave Woods sole possession of the top of the leaderboard.

Lawrie came here insisting he had never achieved anything of note in The Open, apart from winning it at storm-ravaged Carnoustie in 1999. Indeed, the Scot’s best finish since that success was a tie for 42nd place here 11 years ago.

But while he is sometimes accused of being a dour player, Lawrie’s play was simply spectacular today with chipped in birdies at the third and fourth holes, and a putted birdie from off the green at the fifth.

The world No31 finally came unstuck with a wayward approach at the eighth where a bogey saw him slip back into the clutches of Scott who fought back from one over after three to card three birdies in four holes from the fourth.

India’s Jeev Milka Singh, the last player to qualify for the Open thanks to his fourth European Tour victory in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart on Sunday, had held the early lead with birdies at the first and fourth holes.

But the 40-year-old son of the ‘Flying Sikh’ Milka Singh, a 400metres Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Olympian, missed a 20ft par putt at the seventh to fall back into the chasing pack on one under par.

Clarke made a promising start with a five iron to nine feet at the first. ­Certainly, if the Ryder Cup star felt any nerves he did not show them as he and Ernie Els, champion in 2002, strolled to the green chatting to each other as though they were playing a Sunday social round of golf.

But maybe Clarke was just a little too relaxed because he left the birdie putt a couple of inches short and had to settle for a par three.

Then he drove to within a yard or two of the out of bounds down the left of the second, from where the ­Ulsterman could only advance his ball a short way down the fairway. The punishment was a bogey five. Another dropped shot at the next left him looking very unhappy.

Clarke’s close friend Westwood, desperate to lose the unfortunate tag of being the best player in the world never to have won a Major, made no mistake at the first by running his tee shot to four feet of the pin and making the birdie putt.

The Englishman, who has come so tantalisingly close to realising his Major dream with seven top-three finishes, repeated the trick at the next. But he gave both shots back at the third after finding a greenside bunker and only being able to get out ­sideways.

The world No3 chipped to six feet but a groan from the gallery greeted a lipped out putt that took Westwood back to level par.

There was a rousing reception for David Duval, winner of the last Open to be hosted by Lytham in 2001, who responded with four pars to endorse his claim to be a contender once again despite injury and form leaving the American a lowly 775th in the world rankings.

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