Woods opens at 71, but mistakes cost him again

Tiger trails leader, Kisner, by 5 strokes after 1st round

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — Some clouds came in and the wind started blowing — if just a bit — as Tiger Woods played the early holes Thursday, making what had been a warm, sunny day seem a little more like a British Open.

As if on cue, Woods’ game started looking a little more familiar, too.

A birdie on the first hole was just the start he needed. Another on the fourth hole got even the normally reserved British golf fans cheering.

As Woods stood in the middle of the sixth fairway with an 8-iron in his hand for his second shot on the par 5, he seemed poised to leap onto the leaderboard.

And then — well, that story is starting to look a little familiar lately, too.

Two tee shots into bunkers on the back nine. A missed three-footer on the 13th hole. An 8-iron on the par-5 14th that went straight into a pot bunker with a fried egg lie.

And when it was all added up, an even-par 71 on a day when Carnoustie was there for the taking.

Not terrible, by any stretch. Certainly an improvement over the U.S. Open, where Woods shot a 78 in the first round and went on to miss the cut.

But it did nothing to change the state of Woods’ latest comeback, which remains stalled deep into the golf season. Just when he shows flashes of the greatness of the past, Woods follows it with the mediocrity of the moment.

And that may be the worst possible outcome anyone — especially Woods — wants to see at this time of year.

Woods was five shots off the lead set early by Kevin Kisner.

The luck of the draw does matter in golf — especially at the British Open — and Woods got the worst part with an afternoon tee time for his first round, and a morning time today when rain is forecast.

Woods was also dealing with a stiff neck, something he wore a bandage known as Kinesiology Tape for.

But Woods showed no ill effects from it as he stormed into contention only to fail to birdie No. 6 and then fall back with a series of miscues on the back nine.

It’s been a pattern for Woods all year long, one that will have to change if he’s going to make this his first major championship win in 10 years.

Woods has been prone to making mistakes when he can afford them least, just when his game starts to resemble that of the player who won 14 major championships over an 11-year stretch.

That kind of record used to intimidate his opponents — and still does to some measure for players of a different generation.

One of his playing partners Thursday was Russell Knox, a Scotsman who won the Irish Open two weeks ago and was playing with Woods for the first time.

Knox admitted he was in awe of Woods, something that may have caused him to struggle early on his way to a 73.

“He’s almost like a mythical figure,” Knox said.

Knox had a front-row ticket to watch the way Woods made his way around Carnoustie in his 20th British Open, and liked what he saw.

“He hit it good. He plowed his way around, which I expected him to,” Knox said. “It’s kind of fun to watch him do that.”

For now, Kisner is leading at 5-under 66, followed by a collection of players who are one shot behind, including Erik Van Rooyen and Zander Lombard of South Africa. Tony Finau had eight birdies to offset his share of mistakes to join them at 67.

Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm powered their way to 69s, going for the green on short par 4s.

PGA champion Justin Thomas (69), twotime major champion Zach Johnson (70) and Rickie Fowler (70) were also in the mix, while Jordan Spieth carded an opening-round 72.

Dustin Johnson, the world’s No. 1 player, managed only one birdie in his round of 76.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford opened at 2 over.