Woods gets polite welcome
Tiger Woods received a polite welcome from the crowd as he began his first round at the 139th Open Championship.
Tiger Woods received a polite welcome from the crowd as he began his first round at the 139th Open Championship at St Andrews this Thursday morning.
The world number one insisted he did not expect any problems from spectators in response to the sex scandal which erupted around him in November last year, and was proven correct on a damp morning on the Old Course.
Spots of rain hung in the air as Woods took an iron off the first tee and struck his opening shot down the left of the fairway towards the 18th tee.
There was one rather baffling cry of “one time” as the American’s ball flew through the air, and further cries of “Go, Tiger go” as the 34-year-old and playing partners Justin Rose and Camilo Villegas strode down the fairway.
Woods made a solid par to Rose’s opening birdie on the 376-yard par four, while in the group behind, which includedv five-time champion Tom Watson received a noticeably louder ovation from the crowd as his name was announced.
Watson came agonisingly close to a sixth Open title last year at the age of 59, missing an eight foot putt to win on the 72nd hole before losing out to Stewart Cink in a play-off.
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