Tiger Trails Norman at British Open

Tiger Woods lost his ball Thursday after his first shot of the British Open, but the world’s best player managed to pull himself together and draw within five strokes of the early clubhouse leader – South African Hennie Otto.

Otto made several long putts on the way to a 68 at blustery Royal St. George’s. Then came Greg Norman, who played as if it was 1993 all over again. The 48-year-old Shark, bothered most of the year by a back injury, turned in a 69 on the same course where he won the British Open a decade ago.

Norman hasn’t won a tournament since 1998 and he’s played just two PGA Tour events this year. He was feeling no pain, making an eagle at No. 4 and scrambling to keep his score low.

“I am very relaxed and putting well, considering this is only the third golf tournament in a year,” Norman said. “I’m very satisfied.”

Norman was joined at 69 by Davis Love III.

Defending champion Ernie Els struggled in the afternoon, making the turn with a 4-over 40 to hurt his chances of becoming the first repeat winner since Tom Watson in 1982-83.

The Big Easy teed off into the rough at treacherous No. 1, but at least he could find his ball. Not so for Woods, who doesn’t have possession of any major title for the first time since 1999.

He pushed his opening tee shot into the ankle-deep rough along the right side of the fairway. About 25 people – including playing partners Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald – poked through the grass but couldn’t find the ball.

“Did you guys see where it went?” Woods asked futilely.

When the five-minute time limit expired, he pulled his driver out of the bag again, unleashed an expletive and hopped in a cart for the long, lonely ride back to the tee.

His next shot – actually, his third after taking a one-stroke penalty – wasn’t much better, sailing into the same rough where marshals were still looking for the first ball.

This time, Woods didn’t have any trouble locating the ball, but all he could do was hack it through the fairway, winding up near some television cables on the left side.

Woods finally reached the green with a wedge, but an 18-foot putt came up short. He tapped in for a 7 and walked off the green muttering to himself.

Woods ran into another tough stretch beginning at No. 12, where an attempt to escape a deep pot bunker caught the embankment and ricocheted straight left. He wound up making the first of three straight bogeys.

“On a golf course like this, with the wind blowing as hard as it is, it really tests you,” Woods said.

His score soared as high as 4 over, but lengthy birdie putts at 15 and 16 kept him within sight of the leaders.

“If I can drive it a little bit better, I like the way I’m playing overall,” Woods said. “I hit some good drives coming in. That’s a good sign. Hopefully it will carry into tomorrow’s round.”

Overnight rain softened the bumpy, barren links near the English Channel, but the sun returned in the afternoon and the wind kicked up, quickly drying things out again.

Norman certainly feels comfortable at Royal St. George’s, where he captured his second British Open title in 1993 by shooting a final-round 64.

And here’s some consolation for Woods: Norman opened with a double bogey 10 years ago and came back to win.

The Aussie’s best shot of this day came at the par-5 fourth, when he punched a 4-iron to within 6 inches for a tap-in eagle.

At the opposite end of the spectrum were Colin Montgomerie, Jerry Kelly and Thomas Bjorn.

Monty pulled out after playing just seven holes, having jammed his right hand when he fell on the way to breakfast. He headed home to get the hand X-rayed.

Kelly probably felt like quitting after the first hole.

The American yanked his tee shot into the left rough, where his second attempt to get it out flew into the tall grass on the right side. From there, he hacked at the ball four times without success, finally taking a one-stroke penalty for an unplayable lie.

After the drop, Kelly’s ninth shot flew over the green, then he chipped to 25 feet. He rolled in the long putt for 11, drawing a big cheer from the crowd.

Kelly, who finished with an 86, will likely withdraw after injuring his left ring finger near the end of the round.

Bjorn was one stroke off the lead going to 17, only to take a quadruple-bogey 8 when his temper got the best of him. The Dane flubbed a shot out of the back bunker, then got a two-stroke penalty for slamming his club into the sand in frustration.

Watson, the 53-year-old five-time British champion, also faded at the end. He was 3 under with two holes to play, but a double bogey and bogey left him at 71.

“That was an ugly finish,” said Watson, who has missed the cut four of the last five years.

Last month, Watson shot a 65 in the first round of the U.S. Open, inspired by his longtime caddie, Bruce Edwards, who has been diagnosed with deadly Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Edwards did not make the trip to England.

If Watson’s early play was a surprise, Otto’s start was shocking. He’s never won in four years on the PGA European Tour; his best finish this year is a tie for 17th in the South African Open.

“You’ve got to relax and take what the course gives you,” said Otto, who teed off at 6:30 a.m.

Phil Mickelson, still seeking his first major, was tied for the lead at one point but dropped back to even through 13 holes. At that point, he had gone seven straight holes without a par: one eagle, two birdies and five bogeys.