SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods began his new season with no bogeys, no birdies on the par 5s and no drama.
Looking for a new start after a disastrous year on and off the golf course, Woods felt little stress Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open with a 3-under-par 69 on the North Course that left him five shots behind South Korean rookie Sunghoon Kang.
If the setting was familiar for Woods, so was his middle-of-the-pack position. In four of his six wins at this tournament, he has been at least five shots behind after the opening round.
“I’m happy with the way I played, absolutely,” Woods said. “I could have been a lot better if I took care of the par 5s a little bit more, but obviously, I didn’t do that.”
Kang, 24, finished with back-to- back birdies on the North Course for an 8-under 64, giving him a one-shot lead over Alex Prugh and Rickie Fowler. Another rookie, Chris Kirk, was at 66.
Phil Mickelson shot 32 on the back nine for a 5-under 67 to match John Daly for the best score on the tougher South Course.
While Daly was enjoying a pleasant day at Torrey Pines, the two- time major champion criticized two other tournaments for not giving him sponsor exemptions, saying he would never play the Bob Hope Classic and Phoenix Open again.
• Johan Edfors of Sweden shot an 8-under 64 in the first round of the Volvo Golf Champions, giving him a two-stroke lead in the European Tour’s debut in Bahrain.
Peter Hanson,Pablo Larrazabal, Francesco Molinari and Graeme Storm were at 66.
• CBS extended its contract to broadcast the PGA Championship through 2019.
NBA suspends Mayo 10 games
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The NBA suspended Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo 10 games without pay for violating the league and union’s anti-drug program with a positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Mayo blamed an undisclosed over-the-counter supplement he claimed he didn’t know was banned by the NBA for the positive test.
• Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is recovering from stomach ulcers and might miss tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic.
Rose blamed the ulcers on spicy food, saying, “That’s the thing I’m going with.”
Meanwhile, center Joakim Noah expects to have the cast on his right hand taken off Monday.
Footnotes.
Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf has been cleared to skate with the team nearly one month after getting hit in the face with a puck.
• Forward Alexander Semin signed a one-year, $6.7 million contract extension with the Washington Capitals.
• Forward Matt Moulson and the New York Islanders agreed to a three-year contract.
• Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler will undergo back surgery and be out indefinitely.
• Austrian skier Mario Scheiber broke his right shoulder blade and fractured his sinuses after crashing during a World Cup downhill training run in Chamonix, France.
The Associated Press
