PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Tiger Woods has the signature fist pump. And the signature slow start.
He was at it again Thursday in the first round at the Players Championship, playing his first six holes in one-over par. (Meanwhile, Scott Verplank birdied five of his first seven holes.)
Starting off the back nine, his downfall was the 483-yard 14th.
He pushed his drive right, leaving himself 213 yards. His approach sailed far left of the green, settling in a nasty, native area. He pitched to 38 feet and two-putted for a 5. After playing the 422-yard 15th conventionally – 288-yard drive, approach to 21 feet, two putts – Woods went to town on the 16th, a short par 5 that perennially ranks as the TPC Sawgrass' easiest hole.
This week, one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year, The Players Championship, tees off early Thursday morning live from the TPC at Sawgrass-Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.