Tiger Woods dug deep to avoid a repeat of his Quail Hollow horror show when the ufffd6.2million Players Championship, golf's richest event, began at Sawgrass in Florida yesterday.
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| Tiger Woods lines up his putt on the 14th hole during Round One of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Florida yesterday. pic/AFP |
Tiger Woods dug deep to avoid a repeat of his Quail Hollow horror show when the ufffd6.2million Players Championship, golf's richest event, began at Sawgrass in Florida yesterday.
Six days after the dreadful 79 which sent him crashing out by eight shots, Woods produced a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly and yet somehow was two under par after 13 holes.
That put him level with Masters champion Phil Mickelson, the man who could take his World No 1 spot if he finishes outside the top five, but five behind Robert Allenby.
The Australian turned in 32 and then had a hat-trick of birdies from the second to take over at the top from JB Holmes and Davis Love.
With Rory McIlroy, winner of his first US Tour title in magnificent fashion on Sunday, only level par at the same stage as Woods, the European challenge was being led by Luke Donald and Lee Westwood.
Woods, inevitably, had more eyes on him when he tried to hit back from the worst performance of his entire career.
His first shot did not bode well ufffd a three wood that flew into the left-hand trees. But escaping with a par was a taste of things to come.
A poor approach to the long second did not cost him a shot either and nor did a shocking 190-yard three wood that popped up in the air off the seventh tee.
With the same club he produced a wonderful shot into the heart of the green on the par-five ninth ufffd this time it carried 270 yards ufffd and he two-putted for his first birdie in 19 competitive holes.
Another came on the 558-yard 11th thanks to a chip to six feet followed by a fine finish.
