Getting an early start at the 2018 Dell Technologies Championship, Tiger Woods had to settle for a one-over par 72 after Friday's first round. 

Woods walked off the course five shots behind the trio of Chris Kirk, Beau Hossler and Keegan Bradley at four-under par. 

The event, which is held at the TPC Boston course, is now in its 15th year. Woods previously won this tournament in 2006. He opened that event with a 66 en route to a two-shot victory over Vijay Singh. 

While this isn't exactly the opening Woods was looking for, it seemed like he would be in for a long day when the round began. He pulled his first tee shot on No. 10, with the ball landing in the hazard grass and forcing him to take a drop that led to a bogey. 

There were more problems ahead for Woods. He was sitting at three-over par after seven holes thanks to bogeys on his fourth and seventh holes.

The fourth hole was particularly frustrating because Woods wasted a perfect 275-yard drive that hit the middle of the fairway. His par putt was pushed to the left of the hole, leading to a second attempt to settle for bogey. 

Per The Action Network's Jason Sobel, Woods has been going through putters this summer in an effort to find one that helps produce the best results:

Putting has been an ongoing issue for Woods this season. Golfweek's David Dusek noted the 14-time major champion currently ranks 53rd on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting (0.24) and finished 79th in that category last week at the Northern Trust. 

"You have to make putts," Woods told reporters after his final round at the Northern Trust last week. "That's the only way we're going to shoot low rounds. I didn't do it this week."

After that difficult seven-hole stretch to start, Tiger settled in to make his round look respectable. His first birdie came on his eighth hole thanks to a terrific approach shot that stopped 10 feet from the hole:

That shot gave Woods some momentum back as he made the turn. Following a run of four straight pars, the 42-year-old got another shot back on his 13th hole thanks to a 263-yard drive that landed just short of the green. 

Tiger's 16th hole would turn out to be his best of the day, and it couldn't have come at a better time. A bogey on the previous hole dropped him back to two-over par. His second shot on the par-five came within 21 feet of the hole, giving him a two-putt for birdie. 

Because Woods was among the first players to tee off in Friday's first round, he had a chance to set the tempo for the rest of the field. 

Since things didn't go in Woods' favor, he could do some additional work on the course to correct some flaws that will help him improve in the second round to make a move up the leaderboard. 

It's still early enough in the tournament that Woods' start doesn't destroy his chances of winning. He just has a steeper mountain to climb to get there.