World number two Tiger Woods opened with a two-under 69 and was four shots off the early lead in the opening round of the Australian Masters at Melbourne's Victoria Golf Club on Thursday.

Defending champion Woods, who is chasing his first tournament victory of the year, struggled with his putting in benign conditions finishing with three birdies and a bogey.

Starting his round off the 10th tee, he bogeyed the 12th hole and narrowly missed a couple of birdie putts before he just missed an 30-foot downhill eagle putt at the 17th and made birdie.

The 14-time major winner played a 90-foot pitch over the bunker at the first hole and sank a seven-footer for his second birdie and claimed another shot at the fourth with an uphill putt.

Woods, 34, is returning to Melbourne where he last won before a spectacular fall from grace in the wake of a sex scandal that engulfed his personal and professional life.

Apart from the breakup of his marriage, the upheaval also cost Woods his world number one ranking -- which went to Englishman Lee Westwood last week -- after a 281-week tenure at the top.

Woods is up against leading Australians Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy, Colombia's Camilo Villegas and Spain's Sergio Garcia this week.

© 2010 AFP/sid