Tiger Woods has ended a four-month injury lay-off by sending his opening 3-wood tee shot out-of-bounds.

It continued a common thread as Woods has struggled when starting a round.  To single out a few instances there was driving into the Barry Burn on day one of the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie and then two years ago at Royal Lytham and St. Annes Woods had to call a ‘provisional’ when his ball headed into deep rough left off the tee on day one of the 2012 Open.

Then Woods was also in the rough down the left side of the opening hole at Muirfield on day one of last year’s Open.

However after his poor opening drive Woods also put down a ‘provisional’ and then put his fourth shot to just a few inches for a tap-in putt and a bogey five.

But then Woods was left off the tee with a ‘worm burner’ at the second on route to a second straight bogey before finding a fairway bunker when he tee shot was also left at the third.

Strangely, Woods only missed one fairway during Wednesday’s Pro Am and that was at the second where he recorded his only bogey.

Tiger Woods blasts out of the rough at the very first hole in the 2013 Open. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)