Follow Tiger Woods' first round at The Open Championship - PGA ...

Former Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy had a famous line to prime his teams for tough conditions: "When it's too tough for them, it's just right for us."

Tiger Woods will aim to channel those sentiments on a cool and breezy Thursday at The 152nd Open Championship.

Woods begins his opening round at 2:37 p.m. local time at Royal Troon (9:37 a.m. ET), looking to solve the Scottish seaside venue's riddles that have vexed players so far Thursday at the season's final men's major championship.

Justin Thomas assumed the early lead at 3-under 68, with a handful of players in at 2-under 69 including Alex Noren, Justin Rose and Nicolai Højgaard. Players well over par include Rory McIlroy, Max Homa and Bryson DeChambeau.

This marks the first year in which Woods has competed in all four majors since suffering severe injuries to both legs in a 2021 car crash. He made the cut at the Masters, finishing 60th, but missed the cut at the PGA Championship at Valhalla and U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

Woods admits that his physical condition isn't what it once was, but he strongly believes that he can still contend for major titles under the right conditions. With Royal Troon posing a gnarly test early, perhaps this could be the week.

Keep it here for updates as Woods tackles Royal Troon for the opening round of The 152nd Open Championship.

12:20 p.m. ET: Woods makes an easy par at the par-4 10th, smoking a drive to nearly the end of the fairway and playing a safe 133-yard approach to 25 feet. His birdie attempt tracks toward the hole but stops just a few rotations short of the cup. He taps in for par, a satisfactory start to his second nine. He remains 4 over for the day.

12:05 p.m. ET: Woods stops the bleeding at the mid-length par-4 ninth, playing a safe approach to just short of the green and getting up-and-down from 24 yards by converting a 4-footer for par.

It's a 4-over 40 for Woods on the opening nine at Royal Troon, not an ideal result after a promising start at 1 under through three. He turns to the second nine at Royal Troon's out-and-back design, looking to crawl a bit closer to level par and to clubhouse leader Justin Thomas (3-under 68).

11:48 a.m. ET: Woods' front nine is slowly descending from bad to worse, as his tee shot at the famed "Postage Stamp" short par-3 eighth careens off a slope just off the green's right side and kicks into thick rough. He has no choice but to play his second shot well right of the hole to avoid pot bunkers; it funnels off a slope to leave a closer par putt from 14 feet, but it misses on the right side. Woods is now 4 over through eight holes at Royal Troon, a distant seven strokes back of leader Justin Thomas. It's way too early to think about the cut line, but Woods is not trending in the correct direction at the moment.

11:35 a.m. ET: Things are getting bleak fast for Woods, who has a reasonable 15-foot birdie try from just off the par-4 seventh green's left side but races it 6 feet by. He can't convert the par putt; it's another bogey for the three-time Open champion. He's now 3 over for the day, and he has played his last four holes in 4 over. It's a summer day on the Scottish coast, but it could easily be confused for a rainy fall afternoon, and Woods' score is aligned with that gloomy vibe.

11:20 a.m. ET: Woods gets back on track at the par-5 sixth, playing three smart shots to leave a mid-range birdie try. He can't convert but makes a routine par to stay at 2 over for the day.

10:55 a.m. ET: Woods slightly tugs a long iron at the long par-3 fifth, but it catches a nasty pot bunker that requires him to chip out sideways. His third shot is no picnic either, requiring a flop shot back over the bunker that he does well to stop 10 feet past the hole. The bogey putt narrowly misses on the right edge, and it's a discouraging double bogey for Woods. He falls to 2 over through five holes. A promising start has turned sour in the blink of an eye.

10:43 a.m. ET: Woods' first miscue of the day comes at the par-5 fourth hole, and it comes despite a well-placed driver down the middle and a proper layup to leave a 125-yard approach for his third. He tugs that approach to the green's left side, leaving a cross-country 62-footer for birdie which he races 8 feet by. His par putt burns the edge, and it's a bogey on Royal Troon's second easiest hole of the day, a frustrating square on the scorecard. Woods is back to even par through four holes.

10:21 a.m. ET: Woods is a tactician, splitting the fairway on the short par-4 third hole with a fairway metal, leaving 149 yards to the hole. He plays an aggressive second shot toward the middle-left hole location, but it settles in the fairway just beyond the green, leaving a 35-foot birdie effort.

It's vintage Woods from there, as he delivers an early highlight-reel moment at Royal Troon. He selects putter from the fringe and starts the ball well right of the hole; it breaks perfectly down the slope and drops into the cup. Birdie for Woods, who delivers a subtle yet hearty fist pump. He's in red figures, 1 under through three holes. Game on.

Tiger Woods drains long birdie putt from off the green at The Open

10:10 a.m. ET: Woods tugs his tee shot into thick rough left of the fairway at the short par-4 second, but he plays a sublime second shot from 177 yards that narrowly carries a front greenside bunker and safely settles 60 feet left of the hole. He two-putts for his second straight par to begin the opening round at Royal Troon.

Tiger Woods opens with par at The Open

9:51 a.m. ET: Tiger Woods is underway at The 152nd Open, sporting a black cap, grey sweater and black neck warmer in his Sun Day Red branding. He selects fairway metal off the tee at the par-4 first and finds the first cut of rough just off the fairway's right side, leaving 166 yards to the hole. He plays a smart iron to the green's front portion and two-putts for par, a fine start to this tricky Thursday at Royal Troon.