The Open 2010: Tidy start for Tiger Woods as he chases St Andrews treble

As fascination curdles into prurience, Tiger Woods still holds us in the palm of his hand. And so it was on the Old Course today, as each twitch and pout was analysed for some hidden truth about the man who said this week: "I'm trying to become a better player and a better person." His reluctance to uncouple the first from the second is screamingly obvious, and probably inevitable. Golf is the core of the man and you can almost hear him suffering when his game lets him down, as if he is being unfaithful to his talent. At times, he was as calm as the morning weather, racing the clouds home in 67 in pursuit of a record third Open title at St Andrews. It would seem to be the only prize worth the trouble of his public trial. In a stretch of the opening day that was as near-perfect for golf as could be wished for, the gallery gave him the freedom of the course he so clearly needs as he searches for some kind of peace. "They've always been respectful and enthusiastic here," he said later. "There's no reason it would be any different." Really? Some people would say there are plenty of reasons. As a snapshot of his private turmoil, the first round of the 150th Open proved to be a telling metaphor. It started brightly. In a striped pink top over a white undershirt, Tiger strode along the path between the 2nd and 3rd tees grinning and joking with Justin Rose as if he were on a golfing jolly. He had already picked up a shot and, even in the downbeat atmosphere generated by the dregs of the cloying overnight mist the locals call a haar, he looked a happy man. There was no rancour beyond the ropes, no wise-cracking wit to spoil the show. What difficult interchange he has endured since returning from the US after seeing his children has come in the tense surroundings of press conferences that have come to resemble an inquisition into his morals, his fractured marriage and his general demeanour. He cannot say the R&A has not done everything to help him. Yet again, Woods was gifted an agreeable starting time, 9.09am, the same as last year, the same as 2007, 2006 and 2003. No wonder he loves playing at "my favourite place in the world". This course suits Woods. In 2005, he shot 66 in the first round on his way to victory, the 10th of his 14 major triumphs. Now, with a new putter and an allegedly fresh perspective on life, Woods set about convincing us and himself that his golf – so scathingly criticised by his caddie Steve Williams yesterday – was on the mend. Woods claimed later not to have heard the comments. True to a pattern of behaviour that seems suspiciously like denial, he was not about to admit any negativity to his mind-set. "It's getting better every week," he said. "The things I've been working on have been starting to come together. I'm hitting shots that I haven't hit in a long time." Certainly, for extended periods, he did not play like a man recently quizzed by the FBI. Whatever the wash-up from the investigation into his association with the Canadian doctor Anthony Galea – who helped him to recover from knee surgery two years ago but also has been charged with administering performance-enhancing drugs to NFL footballers – Woods was utterly focused. He brought some pretty ugly figures to this championship: 45th in the putting league and 125th in driving accuracy. When he won the first of his three Opens, on this course 10 years ago, he did not hit a single bunker; it would be a brave punter who backed that possibility this year, although, but for finding the shrubbery on the 17th, he stayed out of trouble today. It was his putting, though, that convinced him he should finally ditch his trusty Scotty Cameron, the implement he had used in 72 tournament wins since 1999, including 13 of his majors – that and perhaps a fat cheque from Nike for using its groove-faced scoring stick, masked in polymer to reduce the level of skid and impart extra top-spin. It was a calculated gamble to handle the slower greens here. As a little bit of summer intruded, birdies dropped all over the course. Tiger grabbed his second at the 7th, came close on the 8th from 15 feet, and got his third to turn at three under. Woods was still looking for his "A game", though. He missed birdie on the 10th and a long, curving birdie putt on the par-three 11th crawled by before he picked up another at the 12th. The new putter did the trick at 13 and, at five under, this was more like the Woods who scares opponents by his mere presence. His swing looked more grooved as he attacked the longest hole in championship golf, the 618-yard 14th, and he birdied his third hole in a row. Then, at the Road Hole, it all went wonky off the tee again and, crunching his way out of the rough, he recovered before letting a short put slip by for his only bogey. When he missed what in his pomp would have been a regulation 10-footer on the last, he had rounded out the day in middling fashion. From the gated mansion to the clubhouse, there is some rehab work to do yet.