LOS ANGELES — A day that started with butterflies ended with birdies — three in a row — as Tiger Woods navigated Riviera Country Club on Thursday with a round as crisp as the cool afternoon.
Woods, playing his first competitive round in a non-major in 844 days, shot a two-under-par 69 to the delight of the robust gallery capturing his every move with raised cellphone cameras.
“I didn’t really look up as much,” said Woods, 47. “I probably should have, but I didn’t. I was trying to calm myself down all day, trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing out here because I haven’t played. I had to try and figure out what the chess match is going to be.”
