Frenchman Thomas Levet and American Brandt Jobe fired seven-under-par 65s to set the pace in the Buick Invitational first round as defending champion Tiger Woods made a poor start yesterday.
Ryder Cup player Levet and Jobe reeled off seven birdies each in blemish-free displays on the North Course at Torrey Pines, the easier of the two par-72 layouts being used for this week's PGA Tour event.
Australia's Stuart Appleby, winner of the season-opening Mercedes Championships, was among a group of nine players tied for third on 66 after spectacularly holing out with a wedge for an eagle two late in his round.
It was a not a day to remember, though, for world number one Woods in his first event of the year. A three-times winner at Torrey Pines where he has always felt at home, he struggled with his new Nike driver for most of the round before completing a 71 on the North Course.
After teeing off at the 10th with Appleby and Spaniard Sergio Garcia on a calm and cool morning, Woods got to three under with eight holes to play but lost ground with three consecutive bogeys from the fourth.
He did well to scramble a par at the 436-yard eighth, after hooking his drive behind a tree and finding the left rough short of the green with his second shot, before recovering with a birdie at his final hole, the par-five ninth.
"I really struggled today," Woods told reporters. "I kept hitting my driver short and right. I only hit two good drives all day and when I did, I was bunkered on the lip on two and found the first cut (of rough) on nine.
"I knew what I was doing, I just couldn't stop it. I was protecting a left hook so I hit everything right."
Levet, fully exempt on the US PGA Tour after representing the triumphant European Ryder Cup team in 2004, was particularly pleased with his putting.
"From inside eight feet, I was pretty good today," said the 37-year-old from Paris. "That was the key. "Although I didn't drive the ball that well, I played solid and didn't miss too many shots."
For much of the day, Appleby held a share of the lead after adding five birdies and a bogey to his eagle at the par-four eighth, his penultimate hole.
"I played pretty well and got the most I could out of my round," the 34-year-old Australian smiled. "I did the right thing at the right time."
Among the bigger names playing in the third full-field event of the PGA Tour season, 2004 champion John Daly shot a 69 on the difficult South Course to finish level with world number six Garcia.
US PGA champion Phil Mickelson, like Woods a three-times winner at Torrey Pines, opened with a 71 after mixing five birdies and four bogeys on the South Course.
