CHASKA, Minn. — Tiger Woods clearly was tired of hearing about his 0-for-’09 performance in the majors.
The world’s No. 1 player posted a statement 67 at Hazeltine on Thursday, reversing a recent trend of slow major starts to claim a one-stroke lead midway through the opening round at the 91st PGA Championship.
“It’s always nice to get off to a quick start,” said Woods, who had staggered to a scoring average of 71.8 in his previous five major openers, rebounding to win only once (at the 2008 U.S. Open). “This round could have been really low. I missed a bunch of putts out there. But all in all, just a really positive start to the week.”
Continuing the ball-striking roll that brought him to the PGA Championship — the season’s final major — off back-to-back victories at the Buick Open and Bridgestone Invitational, the 33-year-old Woods hit 12 of 14 fairways and 15 greens during his bogey-free opening salvo at Hazeltine.
And though he did grouse somewhat about a handful of lip-grazing putts from inside 15 feet, Woods’ 29 whacks with the short stick were a slight improvement over his poor work with the blade in recent majors.
Defending champion Padraig Harrington (4-under, 68) is Tiger’s nearest challenger through the first half of the draw. Harrington and Woods, of course, spent last Sunday swapping shots in the final pairing at Firestone in what seemed destined to become the duel of the season before a controversial slow-pace ruling rattled the Irishman, derailing his bid to bring down golf’s leviathan.
Tiger’s fast start at Hazeltine could prove to be dire news for the field. Though nobody is ready to hand Woods the Wanamaker Trophy just yet, the 14-time major champion boasts a staggering record in the Slams when he opens on form. Before Thursday, Woods had posted opening rounds in the 60s in 11 of his 50 major appearances, converting those sterling starts to victories on eight occasions.
“There are times when I’ve put it together and won by some pretty good margins,” said Woods after taking advantage of the fact that tournament officials moved up tee boxes on many holes, making the par-72 layout significantly shorter than its listed 7,674 yards. “I felt very comfortable with what I was doing out there today.”
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