Woods Is Left Scrambling From the Start

FARMINGDALE, N.Y., June 18 -- Tiger Woods began the defense of his U.S. Open championship thusly: standing in the rain Thursday morning on the first tee at Bethpage State Park's Black Course, pulling out a driver to attack a massive dogleg right, then pulling the ensuing drive perhaps 70 yards off line to the left.

Thus, Woods's first approach shot came from in front of a merchandise tent. But the world's top-ranked player ended up saving par to start his tournament, and left Bethpage Black at 1 over par through the six holes he completed before the first round was suspended for the day.

"It was pretty wet and windy," Woods said. "It was a slow day. We had to get in as many holes as we possibly could, and we played more holes than we thought."

Woods is coming off one of his best driving tournaments in recent memory; he hit all 14 fairways in the final round of the Memorial two weeks ago, which he won in come-from-behind fashion. But Thursday, he missed two of the first four fairways he played.

Though he scrambled for par on the first -- getting up and down from the front right bunker -- he couldn't do so on the fifth, a 478-yard par 4 with an elevated green. Woods hit his driver into the trees on the right side of the fairway and had to punch out with a wedge. He hit his subsequent wedge thin, and ended up in a bunker in front of the green. After blasting out, he missed a 10-footer and took a double-bogey 6.

Woods got one of those shots back with a birdie on the sixth, where he rolled in an eight-footer. But his day ended after he blasted out of a bunker on the 525-yard seventh -- the longest par 4 in Open history. He marked his ball eight feet from the cup, and walked off with playing partners Padraig Harrington -- who was 4 over -- and Angel Cabrera, who stood at even par.

"I knew it was going to be a tough day," Woods said, "and it was."

Nothing Beats Parr

Though Andrew Parr played only three holes in Thursday's first round -- he birdied the first and made two pars in his first Open appearance -- the Canadian could be quite a story should he hold himself together through the completion of the first round. Parr, 26, suffered a stroke in 2007 and was temporarily paralyzed on his right side. Given that situation, Parr didn't mind the rain.

"I'm playing the U.S. Open today," he said. "I don't want to be sitting in my hotel room. Let's go play golf. That's kind of the attitude. Why not be in the rain?" . . .

Though officials from the United States Golf Association expect most of Bethpage Black to drain well should the rain let up, they are concerned about the 18th fairway, which was built on a swampy area. Should players' drives land in a puddle there, they would be allowed to take relief no closer to the hole. "Your relief may be 150 yards away," the USGA's Mike Davis said. . . .

Seven players took the course and stood at even par Thursday, including Cabrera, who bogeyed the first but birdied the fourth. Justin Leonard and Ian Poulter were even through seven holes. Bubba Watson was even through four, making birdies at Nos. 2 and 4 after taking a double bogey at No. 1.