BETHESDA, United States — Tiger Woods struggled to a three-over par 74 Thursday in his first competitive round after a three-month injury layoff, battling back after a woeful start at the US PGA National. On a Congressional Country Club course where Woods won in 2009 and 2012, he showed troubles off the tee and with the putter in his much-anticipated return after a 109-day absence due to back surgery to relieve a pinched nerve. The legendary shotmaker, who won four majors in a row starting with the 2000 US Open, could not consistently summon the skill that drew worldwide audiences to him, but raised his game with three birdies and three pars over the final six holes in his first warm-up round for next month's British Open. Teeing off at the 10th hole to cheers and applause, Woods opened and closed the back nine with back-to-back bogeys to make the turn four-over, then added back-to-back bogeys at the second and third holes before responding with a birdie at the fourth and consecutive birdies at the seventh and eighth holes. Woods, chasing Jack Nicklaus' all-time record of 18 major titles, hopes to play his way into shape this week ahead of the British Open at Royal Liverpool, where the 14-time major winner took the Claret Jug in 2006. Woods, who has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open and not broken 70 on the weekend at a major since the 2011 Masters, had not played in any event since March 9 at Doral, where he fired a 78, the worst final-round score of his pro career. The 38-year-old American spent months recuperating and slowly progressing to the point where he could swing a driver at full strength and he continues to take physiotherapy exercises. Woods, who will play the first two days alongside Aussie Jason Day and 20-year-old US star Jordan Spieth, took his most recent victory last August at the World Golf Championships event in Akron, Ohio. Kaymer struggles In Germany, reigning US Open champion Martin Kaymer struggled on the greens and also with crowd expectation in his return to competition in the first round of the BMW International in Colgne Thursday. Kaymer managed five birdies but also two bogeys and a seventh hole double bogey in a round of a one under par 71 that included 31 putts. He trailed by five shots from the lead in ideal scoring conditions on the Jack Nicklaus designed Gut Larcenhof course. Four players — Denmark's Anders Hansen, Frenchman Gary Stal and the England pair of Andy Sullivan and Graeme Storm — share the clubhouse lead with six under par 66s. Huge crowds turned out to support the nearby Dusseldorf-born Kaymer not only in his first appearance in Germany in a year but his first tournament since his stunning eight-shot success at Pinehurst. Also there's no mistaking the star of this week's European Tour event with organizers erecting a huge billboard of Kaymer holding the gleaming US Open trophy at the main entrance to the club. Finland's Mikko Ilonen, who captured last week's Irish Open and who stated he drew inspiration from Kaymer's US Open triumph, is already well placed in shooting a four under par 68. — Agencies
