Woods a hit with Heidelberg spectators

Norman Dabell

Tiger Woods drew the crowds at St Leon Rot on Thursday, but the spectators did not expect to get as close to him as they did with his opening two shots of the Tournament Players' Championship of Europe.

Starting his round at the 10th after a seven-hour delay because of a waterlogged course following heavy rain, the world number one began his day with a drive left into the crowd.

Then, as he tried to recover with a shot under a tree, his second shot also went into the gallery.

That cost him an opening bogey and by his own admission his three-under-par 69 to lie seven shots behind early leader Michael Campbell of New Zealand -- five birdies but two bogeys -- was not Woods at his best.

"I really didn't play all that good today," admitted the current holder of all four major trophies. "But I played good enough to myself in the ball-game.

"I just grinded it out, got it around and made a couple of putts when I had to. But I didn't really do anything that would really hurt me in the round, although I didn't really do anything great either.

BIG PUTT
"I made a big putt for par on number 11, my second hole, coming off the back of the bogey, from 10 feet, and then made birdie on the 12th. I hit a driver and two iron to about 15 feet.

"I didn't hit too many good putts coming back. The putts I did hit good didn't go in and the ones I hit poorly didn't have a chance."

Despite having to click his heels for seven hours, Woods said he was not worried by the delay.

"When it's time to play, it's time to play," he added. "I've been through this before, so it's not lack of experience of it.

"You know how to kill time and get ready to play."

Campbell said Woods would still be his major rival. "I can't think too much about what he is doing," said the leader.

"But you are aware and seven shots is nothing to Tiger. I just want to go out and play as well as I did today in the other three rounds."

Both players are faced with second round starts around 1800 local time Friday as the tournament director Mikael Eriksson tries to get the event back on track.

Only nine players of the first round draw of 78 failed to complete their rounds and will have to play early morning on Friday.