ADARE, Ireland — Tiger Woods looked just as out of form in a celebrity pro-am as he did on the PGA Tour.
The world’s No. 1 golfer arrived Monday in Ireland just hours after his 46th-place finish at the AT&T National in Pennsylvania and shot a 7-over 79 in the first round of the J.P. McManus Invitational Pro-Am.
The unranked event in County Limerick featuring Hollywood celebrities and Irish billionaires was his first overseas event since revelations of his extramarital affairs surfaced last year.
While more than 40,000 Irish golf fans offered him a friendly and forgiving welcome, Woods’ opening round at the 7,463-yard, par-72 Adare Manor Golf Resort was mostly dreadful. He bogeyed six holes, double-bogeyed the 5th, and managed a lone birdie on the 17th.
He followed that up by gamely trying to reach the green in two on the 548-yard, par-5 18th. His risky second shot fell short into the cattails along the River Maigue for a final bogey, the third time he had found water in his round.
A car parked on the edge of the 18th green whisked Woods away to a helicopter for his overnight stay at the Limerick mansion of the billionaire McManus, an Irish horse breeder, gambler and speculator extraordinaire.
Every five years, McManus brings together mixed groups of pros, Irish business leaders and Hollywood celebrities for an event expected to raise more than $37 million for dozens of Irish charities.
This year’s celebrity golfers include actors Michael Douglas, Samuel L. Jackson, Hugh Grant, Aidan Quinn, Kyle MacLachlan and Peter Gallagher; English Premier League soccer coaches Harry Redknapp and Martin O’Neill; and Irish boyband Westlife.
At the end of Monday’s first round, Jim Furyk and John Cook of the United States, Peter Hanson of Sweden and Rory Sabbatini of South Africa were in a four-way tie for the lead, each 1 under par.
One player in Woods’ foursome, silver-haired Swiss banker Bernard Droux, played more consistently than Woods, who offered him compliments after his precise approach shots and solid putts.
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