The changes made to toughen up Augusta ational seemed to be paying off Thursday, as Tiger Woods made an eight on a hole and layers struggled to make pars on the opening day of the Masters.

Woods had a triple bogey at the eighth hole, while usually steady Jeff Maggert bogeyed four of the first six holes as tricky pin positions combined with new rough and a few longer holes took their toll.

A trio of 69s by Davis Love III, Scott McCarron and Brandel Chamblee, playing in his first Masters, held the lead with about a third of the field finished for the day.

"I did a good job today," said Love, who birdied 16 and 17. ``I'm just trying to stay calm and have some patience."

Patience was what Woods needed after making triple bogey at the eighth hole. Woods came back to birdie three straight holes on the back nine, however, and was only two shots off the lead with four holes left.

Patience was needed by nearly everyone else in the field, too, as the use of threesomes instead of pairs on the first two days led to long rounds. Defending champion Mark O'Meara, who had a late tee time, took an hour to play three holes as his group continually waited between shots to hit.

In another departure from Masters tradition, groundskeepers were watering some greens between groups as the hot sun and breezy conditions combined to dry them out.

David Duval, the hottest player in golf, gave an early indication he would be a factor to win his first major, making birdies at the second and third holes to go 2-under.

Woods had an up-and-down beginning that saw him par only one of his first six holes, but was still 1-under when he ran into trouble at the par-5 eighth.

Woods hit his drive into the trees, put his second shot into an azalea bush and, after taking a penalty drop, took three more shots to get on the green. He then two-putted for an eight.

"This is how you lose a tournament," Woods said to the gallery after hitting into the bush.