After struggling on the green at TPC Scottsdale, American veteran Tiger Woods said he is finding it tough to trust his new swing pattern recommended to him by swing consultant Chris Como.
Woods endured a forgettable day out in his first PGA Tour round in 2015 as he posted a two-over-par 73 in Scottsdale, Arizona - nine shots adrift of leader and countryman Ryan Palmer on Thursday.
The 14-time major winner missed the first four greens on the front nine, with a double-bogey and two bogeys leaving him four-over par.
Woods, to his credit, kept his composure to make it through the last six holes three under.
Speaking afterwards, Woods acknowledged there is still plenty of work to do, though he is remaining patient as he continues to work with Como, who was appointed in November.
"I'm just having a hard time finding the bottom," he said. "Because of my old pattern, I was so steep on it, that I have a new grind on my wedge and sometimes it's hard to trust.
"This is a similar grind I used to use back in the early 2000s, but it's a different grind.
"Some of my shots were into the grain with tight pins, and either I flop it or bump it, one of the two. I chose to bump it."
Woods added: "This is my second tournament in six months, so I just need tournament rounds like this where I can fight through it, turn it around, grind through it and make adjustments on the fly.
"[Caddie] Joey [LaCava] was on me all day today. He said, 'Don't worry about getting your numbers [distances] perfect, because it's not going to be that way yet. You're still working through it.'"