SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Tiger Woods' pursuit of winning three majors in a year for the second time got off to a less-than-spectacular start.
Woods opened his round at the 7,392-yard, par-70 Baltusrol Golf Club's Lower Course with a bogey, and he made his only birdie on his 17th hole in a 75. The short birdie putt on the par-4 8th followed a double-bogey 6 that had put him 6 over.
"It was very frustrating but I held my patience and grinded all day," he said. "I tried to stay patient all day and now I have three days to get back in the tournament."
Woods had an opening 74 at the Masters and was seven strokes off the lead, but he won that for his ninth career major. He finished second in the U.S. Open and then won the British Open at St. Andrews last month to set up his chance to match 2000 when he became the second player to win three majors in the same year.
Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion, and Trevor Immelman were the early clubhouse leaders with 3-under 67s. Steve Elkington, the 1995 PGA champion, Bernhard Langer, a two-time Masters champion, and Heath Slocum had 68s.
Hal Sutton, the 1983 PGA champion, and Justin Leonard, the 1997 British Open champion, were among a large group at 69.
Woods opened his round by three-putting from about 30 feet for a bogey 5 and never could get back to even par as he struggled to find fairways.
The best he could do from the rough on No. 14 was to hit into a bunker, leading to another bogey. And on the par-5 18th, a birdie hole if he could find the fairway, Woods went far left off the tee and the ball hit a tree and dropped into gunk just inside the hazard line. The ball was embedded and Woods asked for relief but was denied.
Woods' caddie insisted someone looking for the ball must have stepped on it, but he didn't get relief and had to drop where it crossed the hazard. He hit a good shot to the fairway, then an iron to 18 feet and two-putted for a 6.
"It's hard to believe that a ball can hit the top of a tree and get embedded like that, but nobody saw anyone step on it so I had to take the unplayable," Woods said.
Woods' frustration began to show late in the round. He flung his putter to the ground when a birdie putt stopped on the lip, and he dropped his iron when his approach on the next hole, No. 3, spun down the slope. He bogeyed No. 4 and then had the 6 at No. 7.
"I'm not going to work on anything," Woods said. "I'm going to go home and relax."
U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell, the only player to finish ahead of Woods in a major this year, was even through nine but bogeyed the next three holes and finished with a 73.
Defending champion Vijay Singh had an afternoon tee time.
When Woods beat Bob May in a playoff to win the PGA at Valhalla in 2000, he became the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three-quarters of the Grand Slam in one year.
Singh won the PGA Championship last year at Whistling Straits, joining Woods as a two-time winner. Only four players have won three or more PGAs: Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus with five each, and Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead with three apiece.
The field is chasing a $1.17 million first prize on a 110-year-old golf course that has hosted seven U.S. Opens.
The history is tough to ignore at Baltusrol.
Nicklaus won the Open here in 1967 and 1980. Lee Janzen won the 1993 Open, the last major the club has hosted, beating Payne Stewart by two strokes.
"Little things here and there are different and I think there's a few more bunkers than I remember," Janzen said. "The course is very long. They've added yardage on nearly every hole since we were here 12 years ago."
There have been plenty of changes since Nicklaus first played here. Though he's not in the field -- he played his last major last month at St. Andrews -- he will be a permanent presence on the 18th tee.
The PGA of America and Baltusrol unveiled a plaque in Nicklaus' honor on the tee box Wednesday.
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