Tiger Woods fired a three-under-par 69 in his opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Woods, seeking a record 83rd victory on the PGA tour on a course where he has lifted eight titles previously, carded five birdies in a promising start in San Diego.

The 44-year-old was three off the lead of six under set by Sebastian Cappelen.

Woods, who started on the back nine, recovered from a bogey on the 11th to claim birdies on the 13th and the par-five 17th but dropped another shot to make the turn at level par.

He closed out the round with three more birdies and only missed out on an eagle at the fifth after a 20-foot putt missed to the left.

"Overall, I'm pleased," he said afterwards. "I feel like I drove a little better today.

"My start lines were a little bit tighter, which was nice. I missed competing, so I was just trying to keep everything as calm as I possibly could."