Relaxed Woods gets first taste of Muirfield

Tiger Woods had his first taste of the Open Championship venue at Muirfield yesterday.

Woods has not played since securing his eighth major title in New York last month having withdrawn from the Advil Western Open due to illness a fortnight ago. The world No 1 spent last week preparing in Ireland and looked fit and relaxed as he strolled on to the first tee for a practice round with Mark O'Meara.

O'Meara's opening shots gave Woods a perfect demonstration of the perils of Muirfield, which has not staged an Open since Nick Faldo's victory 10 years ago. The former Open and Masters champion did not bother to try and play either of his two balls from knee high rough, preferring to drop onto the fairway. Woods had more luck in finding the fairway and his second to the tough 448-yard opening hole came up just short of the putting surface.

The 26-year-old then took irons off the tee on the next two holes, a strategy he is likely to repeat on a regular basis when the tournament starts on Thursday with accuracy at a premium. As well as the deep rough lining the narrow fairways, there are 148 bunkers to be avoided, something Woods was unable to do to his cost at Lytham last year when David Duval won his first major title.

Scotland's Bernard Gallacher brought back memories of his glory days when he shot a five-under-par 66 for a 12-under total of 201 to win his first European Seniors Tour title at the inaugural Mobile Cup.

The former Ryder Cup captain started with a one-shot advantage over England's John Morgan and increased that to three with birdies at the first and second holes but then found he had a battle against the resurgent Delroy Cambridge.

Cambridge hit an eagle at the fifth and a birdie at the ninth to get back level with Gallacher. The pair swapped birdies before the Scot made the decisive move with birdies on the 15th and 17th. Gallacher finish four ahead of Cambridge and five in front of Morgan.

It was a performance which brought to an end a three-year wait for his his first Seniors Tour title. Gallacher said: "I feel as if something massive has just been lifted off my shoulders. I have to admit there were times when I got very despondent."

Jeff Sluman hit a 63 to claim a two-shot lead after three rounds of the Greater Milwaukee Open. Steve Lowery moved up to second thanks to a 64.

In Ohio, Australia's Karrie Webb and the American Beth Bauer headed the leaderboard on day three of the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic. Webb fired a five-under-par 66, Bauer a 67.