Forgettable Year?

Tiger Woods played well except on the greens and opened the Australian Masters with a 2-under 69 and was four shots behind the early leaders Thursday at Victoria Golf Club.
Woods has said he wasn’t looking at this trip to Melbourne as the close of a year that cost him his marriage and his golf game, rather it was a tournament he was trying to win. He has had a difficult time on the golf greens, but generally thought he was on track at this stage.

"I could have easily been 4, 5, 6 under," Woods said. "I don't know what the guys are going to do this afternoon, but I'm right there."

Alistair Presnell and Adam Bland each at a 6-under 65, one shot clear of a group that included PGA Tour winner Andre Stolz. Geoff Ogilvy, opened with a 72.
Tiger Woods missed two fairways on the par-5 18th that forced him to play out sideways from the trees, and also on the eighth, which has been converted to a par 4 for the Australian Masters.

"I hit the ball well all day," Woods said. "It was just a matter of getting committed to hit the ball a little harder on my putts. I was in all the right spots. But they're really slow up the hill and really quick going down, and I didn't make the adjustment."