Scotland's Colin Montgomerie has started his US PGA Championship in the worst possible fashion at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, carding a seven-over score for his first nine holes.
Bogies at the 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 18th, along with a double bogey on the 17th marked a disastrious start for the Scot, who now faces his second nine ten shots adrift of leader Rod Pampling.
Ireland's Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke have yet to tee off.
Earlier, Phil Mickelson birdied three of his first four holes to take the early lead in the first round, but Tiger Woods had to scramble an opening par.
The left-handed Mickelson, hunting his first major title in his 46th start, picked up shots at the 10th, his first hole, the 12th and the par-five 13th to move one clear of the field at three under par.
Australia's Pampling, who also teed off at the 10th, birdied the 13th and 14th to lie joint-second with American Tim Herron, who was two under after six holes on a hot and humid day on the course.
Another Australian, Robert Allenby, was a further shot back at one under after four holes, level with Paraguay's Carlos Franco, after six, and Americans Tim Herron, also after four, and Robert Gamez, after one.
World number one Woods, chasing his ninth career major this week but his first since last year's U.S. Open, missed the fairway after taking out a three-wood for his opening shot at the difficult 429-yard 10th. But the 27-year-old American, from thick rough on the left, managed to power his approach on to the green and two-putted for par from 30 feet.
Woods, winner of back-to-back U.S. PGA Championship titles in 1999 and 2000, then parred the 226-yard 11th to stay level with 16 holes to play.
Defending champion Rich Beem, playing with Woods, dropped a shot at the first after pushing his tee shot into the right rough while 2001 winner David Toms, the third member of the group, ran up a double-bogey six after missing the green with his approach and two-putting from eight feet.
Of the other early starters, U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk and U.S. Masters champion Mike Weir were both level for the day after two holes while twice U.S. Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal was even after four.
Among the later players out, world number two Ernie Els was scheduled to tee off from the first alongside former British Open champions Justin Leonard and Mark Calcavecchia. Davis Love III, the 1997 winner and a favourite this week with four PGA Tour titles to his name this season, was set for a 1405 (1805) tee-off time from the first, in the company of 1998 champion Vijay Singh and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton, who won in 1983.
Local weather forecasts expect conditions to remain sunny, humid and warm for the rest of the day.