Torrey Pines, CA …
Top Scot Russell Knox admitted he would have snapped your hand off had he been handed a round of a three-under par 69 on day one of the Farmers Insurance Open.
After dropping a shot early on the North Course, Knox bounced back with four birdes over his closing 13 holes on the Torrey Pines course.
The effort handed Knox a share of 15th place and only four shots behind American Tony Finau who signed for a seven-unde par 65 and one fewer than the duo of Ted Potter Snr and Ryan Palmer.
Tiger Woods ended his long-awaited return to the PGA Tour with two birdies and a similar number of bogeys in a round of a level par 72.
Woods began by missing the opening fairway as he has done so often in his career including going out-of-bounds and finding the Barrie Burn with his opening tee shot at the 2007 Open at Carnoustie.
However, there was a golf bag full of good signs to suggest Woods will be competitive.
There was also the scene at the fourth green where Woods and his playing partners were buzzed by a motorised hang-glider ahead of walking to the end of the clifftop green to observe dolphins at play well below on the Pacific Ocean shoreline.
Also he was buzzed by a pair of F-35 US fighter jets as he strode down the seventh hole though the noise the fighers generated was only momentarily as Woods drew loud applause and cheers throughout the four-and-a-half hours in his round.
Not the sort of cheers for Knox but he does have his family and other relatives visiting this week and they certainly got to witness some good golf from the current World No. 78.
Knox recorded his four birdies at the fifth, 10th, 12th and 15th holes and with his driving strong in hitting all but four fairways and missing only three greens in regulation.
“I played beautifully and drove the ball well, and overall very pleased to shoot three-under,” he said.
“I could have holed a couple of more putts but then this golf course is hard though the greens are also very firm and with the pin positions today very fair.
“So, I am quite thrilled to be three under and my only bogey today was on a 240-yard par-3 but in the bigger picture, I am very happy.
“I clearly would have taken a 69 had you handed me that on the first tee, for sure.
“It’s a great start on a very tough golf course and a score I can now build on over the next three days, and besides I have been playing well of late and this round today is a relection of that.”
Unfortunately, Martin Laird never recovered in taking a double-bogey at the fourth hole and then a bogey at the next before a birdie at six but only to also bogey the sixth hole.
Laird was four-over par when he dropped a shot at 12 but managed to pick-up birdies at 14 and 16 in a round of a two-over par 74.
