Coming off a win at the Players Championship and an ensuing media tussle with Sergio Garcia that got out of hand following racist comments by Garcia, Tiger Woods looked to shift his attention back to golf, where he is defending his Memorial Tournament title at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Follow along all the tournament action by clicking here to live stream it for free.
Woods did not resemble the man who won the Players Championship a short while ago, missing routine (for Tiger) putts and shooting a 1-under par 71 in Round 1, putting him six shots behind then-leader Charles Schwartzel. Woods recorded an uncharacteristic four bogeys in the first round.
Woods was also one shot back of 53-year-old Fred Couples, who is playing in his group. Speaking with ESPN, Couples said, "I sent him a text and said, 'Do you really want me in this group? I've played no golf and you're nervous playing with him.''
Couples said he is treasuring his pairing with Woods. "It might be my last time playing with Tiger,'' he said. "So I was blessed to play with him. And my goal when I play with him always is to try to hit it solid and stay out of his way. And today was a good one. He's the best player, and I play on the Champions Tour, so I rarely get to see him. Around Augusta, I always try to hit balls next to him.''
As for Woods, following his up-and-down opening round he seemed flummoxed by his less-than-optimal results. "I didn't score very well compared to how I hit it,'' said Woods. "I hit it pretty good. I just didn't make anything today.''
His putting, which is normally Woods' calling card was the real killer Thursday. "It was probably the highest score I could have shot,'' Woods said. "I played a lot better than my score indicates. Hopefully tomorrow, I can clean up and make a few more putts and get on a roll.''
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