Sport

Gardiner and greens get the better of Woods

NEW ZEALAND OPEN/First Round: Tiger Woods admitted he was baffled by the greens after finishing the first round at Paraparaumu…

Fri Jan 11 2002 - 00:00

NEW ZEALAND OPEN/First Round: Tiger Woods admitted he was baffled by the greens after finishing the first round at Paraparaumu six shots off the lead. The world number included four bogeys in his one-under-par 70.

Australia's Scott Gardiner leads after shooting a 64 which included six birdies and an eagle at the 18th.

James McLean, also from Australia, is second, a shot off the lead with Brett Rumford and Steve Alker a further shot behind.

Woods thought he deserved better from his round, but admitted his performances on the greens had let him down.

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"The putts I did hit good didn't go in, and the putts I didn't hit very well weren't even close," he said. "It was a tough day on the greens but I hit the ball well all day."

Woods admitted even the local knowledge of caddie Steve Williams was of no help. He said: "I probably have the guy who has been around here the most trying to read them and we're both struggling. You read them from behind the hole and then from behind the ball and you get two different reads. It's tough to read them and it's tough to be decisive."

Gardiner admitted he was surprised by his performance, especially after bogeying the first hole.

"I was a little rusty coming in today," he said. "But I stayed patient and the birdies just happened."

McLean says he has a guardian angel on the golf course in the shape of late coach Ross Herbert, who died last year.

"You think of funny little things, like you hit it in the trees and it spits out, you think, 'Well Roscoe must have done that'. "

First round scores (par 71): 64 - S Gardiner (Aus); 65 - J McLean (Aus); 66 - S Alker (Nzl), B Rumford (Aus); 67 - C Spence (Aus), S Scahill (Nzl), C Parry (Aus), M Campbell (Nzl); 68- A Painter (Aus), E Boult (Nzl), A Sidford (Nzl), S Malcolmson (Nzl), D McKenzie (Aus), N O'Hern (Aus), S Leaney (Aus); 69 - W Perske (Aus), A Le Vesconte (Aus), G Dodd (Aus), N Gatehouse (Aus), R Chapman (Eng), D Podlich (Aus), M Jones (Aus), A Groom (Aus), M Doyle (Aus), J Inman (USA), M Ecob (Aus), A Tschudin (Aus), M Wilson (USA), J Cooper (Aus), J Riley (Aus), A Percey (Aus), N Kerry (Aus); Selected Others: 70 - T Woods (USA).