Jeff Roberson / AP

Tiger Woods tees off on the 3rd hole during the first round of the Western Open on Thursday. The world's top golfer is playing in his first event since missing the cut at last month's U.S. Open.

updated 10:12 p.m. ET July 6, 2006

LEMONT, Illinois - In the end, Phil Mickelson drove the ball more than 270 yards and watched it stop a few feet from the hole.

It was a near perfect finish for Mickelson, who showed little carry-over from his U.S. Open collapse while shooting a 4-under 67 in the first round of the Western Open on Thursday. Tiger Woods wasn’t as fortunate.

While Mickelson was one shot out of the lead, Woods struggled to a 1-over 72 in his first tournament since missing the cut at the U.S. Open last month.

Joe Ogilvie, Lucas Glover, Daniel Chopra and David McKenzie were tied for first after shooting 66 on the 7,326-yard course at Cog Hill. Davis Love III and Vijay Singh joined Mickelson at one back, along with Charles Warren, Stephen Leaney and Robert Allenby.

Mickelson, starting from the 10th tee, bogeyed his first two holes but ended his round with an eagle on No. 9.

“I bogeyed the first few holes, but I knew I was hitting the ball well,” he said. “I hit some good shots coming in to make some birdies and turned at even, and then my last nine holes I was able to make a couple of birdies. It was a fun round today.”

It ended in spectacular fashion on his last hole, rather than a spectacular meltdown.

Mickelson, who double-bogeyed the final hole at the U.S. Open in Mamaroneck, N.Y., to drop from first to a three-way tie for second, sent a tee shot to the middle of the fairway. Then, he drove a 4-wood that rolled past the lip of the cup and stopped about 5 feet beyond the hole 271 yards away.

“I was just trying to get on the green and the ball ended up rolling by the pin,” said Mickelson, who made the putt.

The ending made up for the rough start. And it was a step toward putting aside the loss at the Open.

“The great champions that play the game of golf all have to have one thing in common,” said Rick Smith, Mickelson’s swing coach. “They have the ability to rebound. And they know it’s going to make it tougher. ... They come back.”

Mickelson spent some time at home in California with his family after the U.S. Open. Then, he practiced at Royal Liverpool, which will host the British Open later this month. Now he sees his game, which has been off since his win at the Masters, coming around.

“I didn’t feel like I played very well a couple weeks ago,” Mickelson said. “I haven’t really struck it the way I wanted to since the Masters.”

It was a much-needed good round for him.

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Opening with a good round in his first tournament since then “was very important, I thought,” Smith said. “I felt like he would, and he did.”

Woods has struggled, too.

He took nine weeks off between the Masters and U.S. Open to tend to his ailing father, who died in May, and went a month without picking up a club.

Although he thought he was prepared for the U.S. Open, the rust showed immediately. At 12 over, he failed to make the cut in a major for the first time in 10 years as a professional.

Woods ended Thursday’s round with a birdie. His approach shot landed a few feet beyond the hole, rolled past the cup and settled on the edge of the green, about 10 feet from the hole. An easy putt ended a frustrating day.

Woods was even through 13 holes but bogeyed the next two.

His tee shot from the par-5 15th sailed wide right into bushes, so he hit a provisional. When the original ball was located, Woods declared it unplayable and went back for a third tee shot.

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By then, he was on his way to a second straight bogey.

“I hit a terrible tee shot,” said Woods, a three-time winner at Cog Hill. “I hit a couple shots left and that one wasn’t going left.”

He lamented “beautiful” putts early on that sailed right over the edge of the hole.

“My distance control wasn’t very good, my direction wasn’t very good,” Woods said. “I hit the driver halfway decent today. (I) just didn’t take advantage of my irons when I had the opportunity.”

Defending champion Jim Furyk, who finished in a tie with Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie at the U.S. Open, was at 2 under.