New putter doesn't do much for Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods used a new putter and got the same middling results on Thursday in the Quicken Loans National.

Woods battled back from a double bogey with five straight birdie chances from 8 feet or closer.

He made only two of them and had to settle for an even-par 70, leaving him seven shots out of the lead in the opening round on the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.

Andrew Landry set the early pace on a difficult, but rain-softened course with a seven-under 63 as Geoff Ogilvy and Marc Leishman were the best of the Australian contingent.

They are four shots off the lead in a tie for 10th after shooting three-under par 67s.

Leishman's round included a monster downhill birdie putt on the par-3 third hold.

Olgivy also had his moments, highlighted by a 179-yard approach to inside five foot to set up birdie on the par-4 sixth hole.

JJ Spaun matched Landry in the afternoon, playing in the group behind Woods without hardly anyone noticing that he played bogey-free while running off five birdies in a seven-hole stretch.

All the attention was on Woods, who had hoped a mallet-style putter might help him shake out of a putting slump. It didn't.

"I shot about the score I should have shot today," Woods said.

He never made a putt outside 10 feet, and the final stretch in the afternoon appeared to be a wasted chance to salvage a score under par.

Woods also kept his round from getting worse with two big par saves to start the back nine, including an up-and-down from 147 yards on No. 11 after driving it into the trees.

"This is a course that's going to get tougher as the week goes on," Woods said.

It was plenty tough for him in his first competition on the TPC Potomac, and his first time playing the tournament since 2015.

This also is the last edition, and the field is among the weakest on the PGA Tour this year.

Rickie Fowler is the only player in the top 10 in the world, and he also rallied for a 70.

The course was the fourth-toughest on the PGA Tour last year, trailing only three majors, though it was soft enough and the wind was mild so that low scores were available.