Riviera Country Club ….

Tiger Woods got his Genesis Open round off the a great start when he birdie his first hole, and holing a putt of nine-foot to go one-under on the course when he made his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year old in 1992.

Woods, however, did not count on what transpired on the next hole, the par-4 11th, when he hit he tee shot right and into one of the dozens of towering eucalyptist (gum) trees that line the fairways of Riviera.

A large crowd had gathered around the tree that Woods hit, and despite some calls the ball had been pocketed by a spectator, Woods confirmed after his round of a one-over par 72 that his golf ball, in fact, did not fall out of the tree.

Woods was asked his reaction to his ball being stuck in the tree.

Tiger Woods found a gum tree with his drive off 11 but otherwise was happy he can be aggressive with the driver. (Photo – Getty)

“I wasn’t very happy,” he said smiling.

“Yeah, eucalyptus trees don’t normally keep golf balls, but this one did.”

With Woods being unable to see a ball, and with spectators indicating it was somewhere in the tree, the 14-time Major winner had no option to return to the tee and play a provisional.

It led to Woods posting a double-bogey ‘6’ but with the American quickly endeavouring to put that aside.

“Overall, it was a lot better today,” he said.

“The shaft of my driver was a little more stout, and the times I lost it to the right, a lot of the times I was just trying to smooth it out there.

“You know, I can go ahead and hit this thing, I can be aggressive and I can take out one side of the golf course, which is great.

“Like in 2015 when I played Wyndham and I was just hitting that thing as hard as I possibly could, that’s probably one of the best driving weeks I had all year. I just have to go and get a little more confidence to go ahead and hit this thing because when I do, it’s awfully good.”