Tiger Woods lost a ball in a tree early in his round, played from the wrong hole late and ended his return to Riviera in Los Angeles with a reasonable start in the Genesis Open.
Three holes into his return to Riviera after a 12-year absence, Woods was 2-over par and bracing for the worst. It turned out to be another step forward.
He overcame a drive that apparently never came down from a eucalyptus tree, another tee shot that wound up on another hole and few careless mistakes with the irons to post a 1-over 72 in the opening round.
"I hung in there well and grinded," said Woods, who was seven back of co-leaders Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau.
His drive on the par-5 11th sailed to the right toward the trees. About 10 minutes later, a golf cart drove up to the tee with Woods in the passenger seat. He never found his ball, presumably swallowed up by the tree. There were questions that someone would have picked it up, but not enough evidence to suggest it was anything but lost.
