NEW PUTTER, SAME MIDDLING RESULTS FOR WOODS

Tiger Woods used a new putter and got the same middling results Thursday in the Quicken Loans National.

Woods battled back from a double bogey with five straight birdie chances from 8 feet or closer. He made only two of them and had to settle for an even-par 70, leaving him seven shots out of the lead in the opening round at TPC Potomac (Md.) at Avenel Farm.

Andrew Landry set the pace on a difficult, but rain-softened course with a 7-under 63. J.J. Spaun matched him in the afternoon, playing in the group behind Woods with hardly anyone noticing that he played bogey-free while running off five birdies in a seven-hole stretch.

Landry, who won the Texas Open in April for his first PGA Tour title, also had a new putter in the bag. All the attention was on Woods, who had hoped a mallet-style putter might help him shake out of a putting slump. It didn’t.

“I shot about the score I should have shot today,” Woods said.

He never made a putt outside 10 feet, and the final stretch in the afternoon appeared to be a wasted chance to salvage a score under par. Woods also kept his round from getting worse with two big par saves to start the back nine, including an up-and-down from 147 yards on No. 11 after driving it into the trees.

“This is a course that’s going to get tougher as the week goes on,” Woods said.

It was plenty tough for him in his first competition on the TPC Potomac layout, and his first time playing the tournament since 2015. This also is the last edition, and the field is among the weakest on the PGA Tour this year. Rickie Fowler is the only player in the top 10 in the world, and he also rallied for a 70.

Andrew Putnam also was at 64 while playing in the afternoon. Beau Hossler and Abraham Ancer were another shot behind.

U.S. Senior Open: Jerry Kelly made his only bogey of the day on No. 18 to close out the first round of the U.S. Senior Open with a two-shot lead at 4-under 66.

With a handful of players still on the Broadmoor course in Colorado Springs, Colo., only eight had broken par. Rocco Mediate, Miguel Angel Jimenez Kevin Sutherland and Deane Pappas finished at 68.

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, who won a playoff in qualifying to make the field, made only five pars and finished at 15-over 85.

European Tour: Bradley Dredge carded a 4-under 67 to lead by one shot after the opening round of the French Open, played in windy conditions at Le Golf National, site of the Ryder Cup in September.

Two-time champion Graeme McDowell, a vice captain for the European team, and Andy Sullivan of England were both a shot off the lead. They are one clear of Robert Karlsson — another of Europe’s vice captains — Thomas Pieters and Dean Burmester.

Justin Thomas, making his debut at the tournament, and Jon Rahm were in a group of eight three shots off the lead.