Fans from across the nation watched as Tiger Woods made his second appearance in golf since all the brouhaha and gossip began. The Masters at Augusta National was the event that he chose for his debut, and the Quail Hollow Golf Championship was where he hoped to carry on the same momentum he showed at The Masters where he tied for fourth. Thursday morning Tiger teed off at Quail Hollow Country Club, one of a handful of Highest Rated Golf Courses in Charlotte NC, and began without a hitch on the 10th hole. He played a near perfect hole and everyone seemed to feel like he would pull it off; however, this start only led to a slow decline that included bad drives that saw water on the 17th and 18th holes, and a hit that sent Tiger yelling, “Fore!” on the 16th hole, creating a truly horrible first opening round for golf’s fallen star. In fact, Woods hasn’t had such a bad opening round on the PGA Tour since scoring a 75 at the Player’s Championship 3 years ago.

Tiger finished with a 2-over 74 on Thursday, leaving him nine shots behind Quail Hollow Golf Championship current leader Bo Van Pelt. Even after his terrible first round, Woods remarked that he would not be hitting the club’s range after the round. Van Pelt, surprised many and scored a 65 after teeing off early on Thursday. Van Pelt is seeking his first PGA Tour win. Right now, Van Pelt, Brad Faxon, and J.J. Henry round out the top-3 leader board as Friday’s round begins. Tiger is slated to tee off the 1st tee at 12:50, hours after golf heavyweight Mickelson, who he is competing quietly against, tees off the 10th tee at 7:40. Bo Van Pelt will tee off from the 1st tee at 1:20.

Mickelson came back on Thursday after withdrawing from the Pro-Am on Wednesday saying that he felt ill. He felt better yesterday, but remarked that it was the Quail Hollow Club’s lovely hills that always tire him. He did well and played a decent round, but towards the end it was evident that he was not feeling his best. He 2-putted for birdie to reach 4 under, and then 3-putted from the fringes on the 17th hole. On the 18th, he had a bogey from the trees, he was happy to be able to rest by the end.

Friday’s round is already underway, we intend to follow the latest headlines for the Quail Hollow Golf Tournament and report back the latest news. Click to find out more about the Charlotte NC Golf Courses and Quail Hollow Golf Club. GolfNorthCarolina.com is the state’s most widely visited golf site, and visitors from around the country can check out the directory Golf Courses in North Carolina and plan North Carolina Golf Vacations and read about their favorite NC Golf Clubs. Click to find out more!