Tiger Woods hit a level-par 72 as his bid for a fifth Masters title got off to a sluggish start at Augusta on Thursday.

The world number one opened with 12 straight pars but was struggling and failed to convert his birdie chances.

A fluffed chip from the back of the 13th led to back-to-back bogeys but he answered by chipping in from off the 15th green for an eagle three.

Woods parred his way home but was a disgruntled figure for much of the day.

The four-time champion has still never broken 70 in his first round at the Masters.

"I didn't get anything going my way. I thought I played a lot better than my score indicates," he said.

"The way the course plays now, you don't really shoot low scores round here. You just kind of plod along. It plays more like a US Open than a Masters.

"It was very quiet. The only roar I heard all day was for Poulter's eagle."