PGA Championship: Tiger Woods keeps in touch after change of shirt as Rickie Fowler makes impressive start

After changing his drenched shirt in a players’ bathroom between the 11th green and 12th tee, Woods fought back to card a level-par 70 to lie five shots behind Rickie Fowler

Tiger Woods plays his tee shot on the sixth hole (Getty Images)

A change of shirt paid dividends for Tiger Woods as he recovered from a nightmare start to his opening round of the 100th US PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club.

Woods, who is seeking a 15th major title and a first since 2008, was among the early starters hoping to make a flying start in sweltering conditions in St Louis, only to drop three shots in his first two holes.

But after changing his drenched shirt in a players’ bathroom between the 11th green and 12th tee, Woods fought back to card a level-par 70 to lie five shots off the clubhouse lead held by fellow American Rickie Fowler.

Fowler carded six birdies and a solitary bogey in a 65 which gave him a two-shot lead over playing partner Ian Poulter, former world No 1 Jason Day, Austin Cook and Pat Perez.

Tiger Woods plays his approach to the 11th green (Getty Images)

Defending champion Justin Thomas had been three under after six holes before two bogeys on the inward nine meant he had to settle for a 69, while Rory McIlroy parred his last nine holes in succession to match the 70 of Woods.

Fowler was second in the Masters in April and finished in the top five in all four majors in 2014, but has yet to claim one of golf’s biggest prizes as he approaches his 30th birthday.

“I always have hope,” Fowler said. “I know Phil (Mickelson) didn’t win majors until his 30s, but it’s not something I necessarily worry about. Keep putting ourselves in position, get in contention – we have had plenty of runner-ups, Jack (Nicklaus) had a lot of runner-ups, we’ll just keep beating down that door.

“You can’t force the issue and it relates to some of our game plan and how we’re going about this week as far as just trying to play within ourselves and not do anything extra special. I don’t have to play special to win.”

Starting on the back nine alongside Thomas and McIlroy, Woods missed the fairway with his drive on the 10th, a par four of more than 500 yards which plays as a par five for the members.

From a bad lie in the rough Woods opted to simply pitch out on to the fairway and, after a poor approach and weak first putt, did well to hole from six feet for a bogey.

Woods also missed the fairway on the 11th and saw his approach find the water in front of the green, but after a mediocre pitch from the drop zone led to a double bogey, a superb approach to the next set up a tap-in birdie.

The 42-year-old did well to save par on the 15th after pulling both his tee shot and attempted recovery into the crowd, but was unable to repeat the feat on the par-three 16th after another wayward approach.

Rickie Fowler plays his tee short at the 16th hole (Getty Images)

However, Woods did hole from three feet for birdie on the 18th and 10 feet on the first and another birdie on the par-five eighth completed a superb comeback, and was delighted to have turned his day around and remain in contention for a first victory since 2013.

“It kept me in the golf tournament,” Woods said. “It could easily have gone the other way but I hung in there and turned it around. I’m just happy to be within five (of the lead) right now. I just had to grind my way around this place. I tried to stay as patient as possible after I got off to a terrible start and tried to eat away at it. These are four long days; it’s a marathon.”

Asked about his change of shirt, Woods added: “I was going to change before the start but there wasn’t a place to change on the 10th tee so I waited until there was a toilet. I sweat a lot in the summer and lose a bunch of weight; I’ve tried everything and just sweat a lot.” PA