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Woods Falters, Norman Leads British Open

Posted on: Thursday, 17 July 2003, 06:00 CDT

Tiger Woods lost his ball on his very first shot of the British Open on Thursday and wound up taking a triple-bogey 7, remaining well behind leader Greg Norman, who stood 4 under par through 13 holes.

South African Hennie Otto was the surprise leader among those who had finished, shooting a 3-under 68 in the first group of the damp, windy day at Royal St. George's. Tom Watson also was a 3 under until he double-bogeyed 17 and bogeyed 18 for a 71.

Everyone was chasing Norman, who eagled No. 4 and continually baled himself out with brilliant par saves, bringing back memories of his 1993 British Open victory.

Mathias Gronberg of Sweden also was at 3 under with four holes remaining, while Davis Love III posted a 69 despite a bogey at No. 18.

But all eyes were on Woods, lacking a major title for the first time since 1999. If the first hole was any indication, that streak will remain intact.

Woods pushed his opening tee shot into the ankle-deep rough along the right side of the fairway. About 25 people scoured the grass, but they 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 triple bogey and walked off the green muttering to himself.

Woods managed to settle himself with a couple of birdies, getting to 1 over. But he gave it back with two straight bogeys at 12 and 13, both times after driving into a bunker.

Ernie Els, hoping to become the first repeat winner at the British in 20 years, was scheduled to tee off in the afternoon on a course softened by overnight rain after baking under a sweltering sun earlier in the week.

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

The 48-year-old Shark hasn't won a tournament since 1998 and back problems have limited him to just two PGA Tour events this year. But he was feeling no pain as play began, scrambling all over the course to keep his score low.

At No. 8, after burying a shot in thick rough, only the name on his ball was visible. But a flop shot barely cleared the ridge and rolled to within 8 feet of the flag. The putt spun all the way around the rim before dropping in to save par.

Watson, the 53-year-old five-time British champion and last back-to-back winner, got off to another strong start in a major with an 18-foot birdie at No. 1.

He picked up another birdie at the par-5 fourth, chipping to 4 feet from behind the green and making the putt.

Coming in, though, Watson resembled the golfer who has made the British cut only once in the last five years. Two errant drives left him with a 71.

"That was an ugly finish," he said. "You've got to put it in play on those two holes. I didn't and I paid the price."

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

Edwards did not make the trip to England with Watson after helping him to consecutive second-place finishes in the U.S. Senior Open and Senior Players Championship.

"Bruce's spirit is with me," Watson said. "He has a terrible disease. It's hurting him more and more, and he couldn't make the trip because of it. But he's here in spirit. A couple of times out there, I was thinking, 'How would Bruce read this putt?' It helped me."

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.

This course near the English Channel also showed plenty of bite. Just ask Jerry Kelly, who took an 11 on 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 15 feet. He rolled in the putt for 11, drawing a big cheer from the crowd.

"Go get 'em, Jerry!" someone yelled.

Kelly smirked and said quietly, "Yeah."

Woods hasn't won a major since his U.S. Open victory at Bethpage Black 13 months ago, but it's not as if he was struggling. In his last tournament, he blew away the field in the Western Open for his fourth victory of the year.

Els, who beat three others in a playoff to win at Muirfield last year, is coming off a victory last week in the Scottish Open. He'll try to match Watson, who won his last two British titles in 1982-83.

Woods, meanwhile, was hoping to join Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win the career Grand Slam at least twice.

The way things started, it won't be easy.

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