Tiger Woods Posts Solid 1st Round at 2020 Farmers Insurance Open

Tiger Woods shot a 69 in his first official round since the start of 2020.

The 44-year-old totaled five birdies and two bogeys to finish three strokes under par after Round 1 at the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday.

Sebastian Cappelen led the field at six strokes under par through Round 1.

Woods has won eight times at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, and a ninth victory this weekend would give the Californian the 83rd win of his career and put him past Sam Snead for the most in PGA history. 

Thursday's round was his first competitive action since he captained Team USA to a win in the Presidents Cup in December. With over a month between events, he got off to a slow start on the North Course.

Beginning on the 10th tee, Woods managed only two pars and a bogey on his first three holes to raise concern early.

However, he settled down with some impressive up-and-down efforts for birdies.

There were still mistakes, but he did his best to stay in the red with another birdie on No. 1.

He cruised through the rest of the day, avoiding bogeys while birdieing both of the par fives to end up three under.

Woods was using a TaylorMade SIM driver for the first time, and it looked like the switch paid off with quality shots off the tee throughout the day. 

With 72.2 percent of greens in regulation during the round, Woods has a lot to build on.

The tournament is Woods' first official PGA stroke-play event since he won the Zozo Championship in October. Although he's behind the lead, his score was enough to keep him competitive for the rest of the weekend.

Woods will tee off from the first hole on the South Course at 10:40 a.m. local (1:40 p.m. ET) Friday alongside Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa.