Thu Apr 10 17:57:53 2008

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Woods even after first round

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Augusta, GA (Sports Network) - Tiger Woods erased bogeys at 13 and 14 with a chip-in eagle on the par-five 15th for an even-par 72 in the first round of the Masters.

Woods is currently tied for 22nd place, four shots behind leaders Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman. Rose is in the clubhouse at four-under 68, while Immelman is finishing his last holes.

"I didn't really get anything going my way today," acknowledged Woods, a four- time Masters winner. "I played a lot better than what my score indicates. I hit the putt really well and just nothing kind of went."

Woods opened with 12 consecutive pars and was in the fairway at the par-five 13th. His four-iron headed right at the flag, but went long into a valley behind the green.

"That was a sweet shot," said Woods. "I thought it was a perfect."

It was not.

Woods had a difficult chip and hit it short. The ball rolled into another collection area right of where he was standing. Woods hit his fourth to eight feet and missed the putt for a bogey.

He bogeyed the 14th and appeared unhappy with his drive into the fairway at the par-five 15th. Woods once again went over the putting surface with his second.

This time Woods had a much easier chip. He pitched on and watched the ball roll in for an eagle to get him back to even-par for the championship.

"It was a pretty easy little pitch. It was straight uphill," said Woods. "The ball was sitting up. It was pretty soft underneath there and I just had to carry it far enough, and it went in."

Woods had a decent look at birdie at 16, but missed. He parred out the final two holes for only his second birdie-free round at the Masters.

"The way the golf course plays now, you don't really shoot low rounds here anymore," said Woods, whose only other round at August without a birdie was the first round in 2003. "This is playing more like a U.S. Open than a Masters."

All is not lost for Woods and his 72 on Thursday. The four times he's donned the green jacket, Woods has posted three 70s and a 74 in the opening rounds. That 74 came the last time Woods won the Masters in 2005.

"I kept myself in the tournament, I'm right there," he said. "With the weather supposed to be getting more difficult as the week goes on, I'm right there."