GOLF BAY HILL INVITATIONAL:TIGER WOODS bounced back from his worst opening round at Bay Hill since 1999 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational yesterday.

Woods has won six times at Bay Hill, but his 73 on Thursday was his highest first-day score in the tournament in 12 years.

However, the former world number one was in far better form, carding a four-under par 68 to improve to three under overall.

That was still six behind clubhouse leader Martin Laird who shot a brilliant 65 to move to nine under, with Spencer Levin and KJ Choi a shot back.

Steve Marino, Charles Howell III and Hunter Mahan put themselves strongly in the frame for the weekend with solid rounds and ended the day three strokes off the lead.

For Woods though, the round marked a step in the right direction with the first major of the year, the US Masters, approaching. “I had a hard time getting the ball to the hole today,” Woods said after a round of five birdies and just one bogey.

“I was very surprised how slow these things (the greens) were today. They must have soaked them pretty good last night because balls were holding, they were spinning back a little bit, very different than what we had yesterday.

“We are trying to build towards the first major and that’s kind of how my game is. It’s building and it’s coming. I’m right there, there is a long weekend ahead of us.”

Graeme McDowell, after his opening 80 in Thursday’s winds, was always going to struggle to make the cut and that proved to be the case.

McDowell shot a one-over-par round of 73 to finish on nine-over for the two days.