After retiring from the third round of the Masters in April, Woods was participating in his first round of an official PGA Tour event since undergoing ankle surgery.
The top 50 players and those inside 10 strokes make the halfway cut, and the 15-time major winner is tied for 49th.
Patrick Cantlay, an American colleague, blasted 64 to lead by one stroke, while Rory McIlroy sits ten shots behind.
The Northern Irishman was three under after ten holes, but he finished three over after making triple bogeys on the fifteenth and sixteenth holes.
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood shot a 70, and world number one Scottie Scheffler, an American, is tied for tenth after shooting a 68.
Five birdies and six bogeys were carded by the former world number one Woods, the last of which resulted from a shank far to the right on the 18th fairway.
“My back was spasming the last couple holes and it was locking up,” he stated. “But that’s just part of the deal, and I look forward to the challenge.”
At the 2019 Zozo Championship in Japan, Woods achieved his most recent victory on the PGA Tour, matching Sam Snead’s record of 82 Tour championships.
Since he suffered a leg injury in an automobile accident in 2021, his schedule has been restricted.
