SAN DIEGO, California (Reuters) - Five-times champion Tiger Woods shrugged off a scrappy display with his driver to charge into contention in the Buick Invitational first round yesterday.

The world number one fired a five-under-par 67 on the South Course at Torrey Pines, the more difficult of the two par-72 layouts hosting the fourth event on the PGA Tour.

Woods, playing his first tournament since winning last month's Target World Challenge, piled up six birdies and a bogey to finish two strokes behind the pacesetting Troy Matteson.

American Matteson, whose only PGA Tour victory came at the 2006 Las Vegas Open in his rookie season, birdied three of the last four holes on the South Course for a sparkling 65.

Compatriot Brad Adamonis was alone in second after opening with a 66 on the 6,874-yard North Course, rated the easiest layout on last year's Tour after playing to an average of 68.67.

South African Rory Sabbatini carded a bogey-free 67 on the North Course to finish level with Woods, Australia's Stuart Appleby and American rookie Kevin Streelman.

Appleby and Streelman, who got into the tournament as the third alternate, also started out on the North.

"I drove it pretty bad all day," Woods told reporters after missing seven fairways out of 14 in partial sunshine and scattered showers.

"Whether it was five-wood, three-wood or driver, I didn't drive it very good at all. But I kept hanging in there and managed to post a number.

"I hit my irons pretty good and I made some putts. I didn't have the speed of the greens early but, after a few holes, I figured that out. From then on, I hit a lot of good putts."

Asked why he felt so comfortable at Torrey Pines where he has won the last three Buick Invitationals, the 13-times major champion replied: "It just fits my eye.

"I have always liked it since junior golf and even with the changes, somehow I have continued to play well here," he added, referring to a revamp of the South Course in 2001.

Woods, who teed off in early morning rain, picked up his first shot at the par-four fourth where he rolled in an eight-foot putt.

Wearing a skin-tight, long-sleeved black shirt, he then chipped in for birdie from rough to the left of the green at the par-three eighth to reach the turn in two-under 34.

Refreshed after a five-week break with his family, Woods picked up further shots at the 10th, 11th — where he holed a 23-footer — 13th and 15th to get to six under.

He collected his only bogey at the par-three 16th, where he was short of the green off the tee and missed a 10-foot par putt, and failed to birdie the last after driving into the left rough.

Matteson, boosted by a run of five birdies in six holes, swept to the top of the leaderboard with a birdie-birdie finish.

"Playing well here and getting off to a great start means a lot for me because the South Course is so difficult," the 28-year-old Florida native said.

"Most of us come in hoping to shoot one or two under on the South Course. I probably won't top that for a while."

Three-times champion Phil Mickelson, like Woods making his debut on the 2008 PGA Tour, returned a four-birdie 70 on the North Course.

Of the other big names, American world number four Jim Furyk and Fiji's 11th-ranked Vijay Singh both opened with 73s on the South Course.