On a humid, breezy day at Hazeltine National, the American world number one rolled in a 12-footer at the par-four 12th before splashing out from a greenside bunker to within a foot of the hole at the par-five 15th.
That left Woods, who teed off at the par-four 10th in pursuit of his 15th major title, two strokes off the early lead.
Long-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros, competing in his first PGA Championship, set the pace after reeling off four birdies in seven holes from the 11th having teed off at the 10th.
Australian Robert Allenby and American Dustin Johnson, after 11 holes, were knotted at three under with Michael Bradley of the U.S. (seven).
Irishman Padraig Harrington, who won last year's title at Oakland Hills, was level with his playing partner Woods following birdies at the 12th and 16th.
Although Woods has not triumphed in a grand slam event since his remarkable playoff win at the 2008 U.S. Open, he has predictably commanded the spotlight at Hazeltine.
Five Times
The 33-year-old has already triumphed five times on the PGA Tour this season, including back-to-back wins in the last fortnight.
"I really hit it good last week and hopefully I can improve on that and carry that over into this week," he said, referring to his four-shot victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday.
"I don't think any of us would have thought I could have won this many events this year," added the American who was sidelined for eight months while recovering from reconstructive knee surgery before returning to the PGA Tour in late February.
"To win, and not only win but be as consistent as I've been the entire year coming back, that's one of the things I'm probably the most proud of."
Masters champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina, U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover and British Open champion Stewart Cink were among the late starters at Hazeltine.
Weather forecasts expect conditions to remain warm and humid for the rest of the day with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon.
