Golf superstar Tiger Woods is threatened with premature exit after a very weak opening round at the 150th British Open.
The 46-year-old Californian only played a round of 78 at the start of the anniversary tournament in St. Andrews on Thursday and was initially in 146th place on the par-72 course on the east coast of Scotland.
Only the top 70 of a total of 156 golf professionals make the cut in the fourth and final major tournament of the year and play for the winner's check of 2.5 million US dollars over the weekend.
For Woods, the British Open is only the third PGA tournament since his serious car accident in February 2021, in which he broke his right leg several times.
After making his comeback at the Masters in Augusta in April, Woods had to withdraw from the PGA Championship in Tulsa in May due to severe pain.
He then skipped the US Open in June to prepare for his favorite course, the Old Course.
But Woods made a mistake on the first hole of the oldest golf course in the world and played a double bogey: first the ball landed in the moat, then a short putt missed the hole.
Five bogeys and another double bogey followed.
The 15-time major winner only managed three stroke wins (birdies).
The three-time British Open winner, who won two titles in the self-proclaimed "Home of Golf" in St. Andrews, needs a dream round this Friday from 10.58 a.m. German time to make the leap into the weekend.
The American Cameron Young initially took the lead at the event, which was endowed with 14 million dollars.
The 25-year-old played a bogey-free round of 64 in the rugged dune landscape, putting him two shots clear of 2014 Northern Ireland British Open champion Rory McIlroy.
Germans are not teeing off in the legendary golf pilgrimage this year.