Masters champion Adam Scott has returned from a six-week layoff to card a two-under-par 68 in the opening round of the $US6 million ($A6.72 million) US PGA Honda Classic.
Playing his first tournament since sharing eighth at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Scott mixed five birdies and three bogeys to be the leading Australian in a tie for 22nd, five shots adrift of early leader Rory McIlroy.
Stepping up his preparation for a successful defence at Augusta National in six weeks, Scott’s only blemishes came in successive holes on the 14th and 15th at the Palm Beach Gardens layout.
But the world No.2 bounced back with a birdie four at the last to be well in the mix.
Fellow Australian Stuart Appleby is one shot adrift of Scott.
McIlroy closed with back-to-back birdies to seize the outright lead with a bogey-free seven-under 63.
The two-time major champion from Northern Ireland is one stroke ahead of American Russell Henley, with South African Rory Sabbatini, Welshman Jamie Donaldson and American William McGirt two back.
McIlroy was pleased with a round he described as solid.
“It’s a good ball-strikers’ golf course,” he said.
“If you can really keep your ball in play and give yourself many birdie chances, that’s the name of the game here.”
McIlroy, 24, won the Honda Classic in 2012 to capture the world No.1 ranking for the first time in his career.
But last year, McIlroy made a humbling withdrawal during his second round at the event, complaining of mental fatigue and a toothache. He later apologised and says he has learned a valuable lesson to play through tough times.
McIlroy’s day was in sharp contrast to that of world No.1 Tiger Woods, who struggled to a 71, his fifth round in a row without breaking par at PGA National.
“I hit it good enough to shoot at least three or four lower than I did,” Woods said.
“I had so many looks that I just missed. I hit good putts but I didn’t figure out the greens as well as I needed to. I need to read them a little better than I did.”
Difficult patches continued to nag Woods, the 14-time major champion chasing the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus but winless at the big ones since the 2008 US Open.
Struggling to combine solid putting with accurate ball striking, Woods looked to be in a fight just to make the cut after making three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.
“It was just one or the other, hit it good and miss the putt or scrap around and make a putt,” Woods said. “It certainly wasn’t together today.”