"It was gross," Woods, playing the weekend of a US PGA Tour event for the first time since August of 2015, said of a round that saw him hit just three of 14 fairways.
He was in the right rough, the left rough and four bunkers. But Woods rolled in four birdie putts ranging from a tap-in to a 15-footer to counter two bogeys on a Torrey Pines South Course where his eight wins include his 14th and most recent major title at the 2008 US Open.
"That's just fighting, fighting and grinding," said Woods, who had a 54-hole total of three-under par 213.
"I didn't have much, but I fought and put up a score and made some putts."
Woods, 42, is making his return to the PGA Tour for the first time since missing the cut at Torrey Pines last year.
He had missed all of 2016 battling back trouble, and last year's comeback bid was cut short by recurring pain and spinal fusion surgery in April.
Woods, who says he's playing without pain for the first time in years, was trending in the right direction, with rounds of 72-71-70.