Two weeks after looking about as bad as he ever has on a golf course, Tiger Woods opened the Greenbrier Classic on Thursday with his best round in more than a year.
Woods shot a 4-under 66 in the opening round, making seven birdies as he shook off a late double bogey to finish strong.
He hadn't shot lower than 68 on Tour since a 66 in the third round at Doral in March 2014.
It was an encouraging effort for Woods in the wake of his U.S. Open debacle. Only three players finished with a worse 36-hole score than Woods' 16-over 156 at Chambers Bay.
Unlike in Washington, Woods showed the ability to recover from trouble Thursday. Playing the front nine last, he double-bogeyed No. 6 but closed with three consecutive birdies to put himself in contention.
Woods is playing the Greenbrier for only the second time; he missed the cut there in 2012. Thursday's round provides a nice building block for the longtime world No. 1, but he'll have to get a lot more consistent to be a factor in the summer's two remaining majors.