Tiger Woods at British Open 2015: Thursday Leaderboard, Score, Twitter Reaction

Tiger Woods made a rotten start to the 2015 British Open at St Andrews, and he is in danger of missing the weekend's action after shooting an opening-round four-over-par 76 on Thursday. It's his worst round as a pro in The Open Championship.

A two-time Open winner on the Old Course, Woods' decent showing at the Greenbrier Classic last time out (tied for 32nd) suggested he might be able to challenge on his favourite track:

However, the mistakes started on the first and just kept coming. With the leaders well under par, Tiger will need to produce something special on Friday if he is to make the cut.

Playing with Louis Oosthuizen and Jason Day, Woods went out at 9:55 a.m. BT (4:55 a.m ET) with the course playing relatively gently and many of the early starters making hay.

However, a visit to the famous Swilcan Burn with his second shot on the first saw the 39-year-old continue his form of starting poorly at majors, per the Telegraph's James Corrigan:

He managed to scramble a bogey but was in trouble again on the second when a misjudged approach shot saw him fall short of the green. He almost holed a long par putt, but it lipped out having circled the hole, showing that not only was form absent for Tiger but fortune too. 

As BBC Sport's Ben Dirs reported, the crowds following Woods were still considerably larger than those watching tournament favourite Jordan Spieth:

It made for tough viewing, though, as the once-indestructible Woods crumbled, picking up a third bogey on the par-five fifth and dropping another shot on seven.

Woods went out in 40, four over par, and was heading for his worst professional round on the Old Course by some distance, per the PGA Tour's Helen Ross:

Those bettors who had ambitiously backed Tiger to repeat his triumphs of 2000 and 2005 at St Andrews were tearing their hair out when he missed another short par putt on the 10th, per PaddyPower:

Surprisingly, the man himself looked remarkably relaxed as he laughed and joked with his playing partners.

Things got no better, though. A duffed chip on the 12th was just another indicator that the 14-time major champion may not be long for the Old Course this week, per Today's Golfer:

He finally gained a shot back on the par-five 14th, two fine shots seeing him almost on the green in two, and he got up and down for a four.

After a horror front nine, the tougher back nine was more serene for the former world No. 1, with his birdie coming amid a run of steady pars. He almost handed one back on the tough 17th, but he holed a 15-footer for par to stay at four over. 

Woods had the chance to finish on a high as he had a birdie putt on the 18th. But it didn't quite make the hole, and he finished with a 76.

CNN Money recently dubbed Woods "the most overpaid athlete on the planet," and being on the verge of missing yet another cut doesn't help the iconic golfer restore the public's confidence in him.

There is plenty to do on Friday if he is to stay for the weekend. With low scores being posted across the course, Woods will need to improve very quickly, or hope things get more difficult for the rest of the field tomorrow.