SAN DIEGO - Tiger Woods began his new season with no bogeys, no birdies on the par 5s, and no drama.
After a disastrous year on and off the golf course, Woods felt little stress Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. The former No. 1-ranked golfer - he has slipped to No. 3 in the world and can't improve on that this week - shot a 3-under 69 that left him 5 shots behind Sunghoon Kang.
"I'm happy with the way I played, absolutely," Woods said. "I could have been a lot better if I took care of the par 5s a little bit more, but obviously, I didn't do that."
Kang, a 24-year-old rookie, finished with back-to-back birdies on the North Course for an 8-under 64, giving him a 1-shot lead over fellow rookies Alex Prugh, and Rickie Fowler. Another rookie, Chris Kirk, was another shot back at 66.
Phil Mickelson shot 32 on the back nine for a 5-under 67 to match the best score on the tougher South Course, which hosted the 2008 U.S. Open that Woods won in a playoff. Also at 67 on the South was John Daly, whose last win came in 2004 at this tournament. He is the last player to win at Torrey Pines when Woods was in the field.
European Tour
RIFFA, Bahrain - Johan Edfors shot an 8-under 64 in the first round of the Volvo Golf Champions, giving him a 2-stroke lead.
Four players were at 66 - Peter Hanson, Pablo Larrazabal, Francesco Molinari, and Graeme Storm. Sergio Garcia is tied with seven others at 67.
Padraig Harrington, who was disqualified last week when his ball moved after picking up his mark, and European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal both shot 70. Colin Montgomerie, who designed the course, was two strokes further back.
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