TIGER WOODS IS tied for 152nd place after a nightmare start at the US Open.
Only two players in the 156-man field shot a worse score than the 14-time Major champion who was a shadow of his former self again as he opened with a catastrophic 80.
“The bright side is at least I kicked Rickie (Fowler)’s butt today,” Woods joked after his playing partner went one worse and shot 11-over par.
The 80 was by far Woods’ worst round as a professional at the US Open; previously, he had never shot higher than 76.
It included a triple-bogey seven on the par-four 14th as well as eight bogeys — and just a single birdie.
“I fought, I fought hard,” Woods said. “And that was my number. I couldn’t grind out any harder than that.”
Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson set the early markers at Chambers Bay as they shot five-under-par 65.
Patrick Reed is a shot off the pace with three others — Matt Kuchar, Ben Martin and the amateur Brian Campbell — tied on three-under.
Shane Lowry finished with a birdie to wrap up a very promising start which leaves him four shots off the lead on -1, alongside Phil Mickelson and others.
It left him as the only Irish player to card a sub-par opening round with Rory McIlroy (+2), Graeme McDowell (+4) and Darren Clarke (+7) all struggling.
