Woods (67) Is One Shot Off the Pace
Trying to become the first player on any tour to win the same tournament five consecutive times, Tiger Woods got off to a solid start by missing only one fairway in a round of five-under-par 67 that left him one shot out of the lead in the Bay Hill Invitational at Orlando, Fla., on Thursday.
“I haven’t won yet,†Woods said when asked again what would it mean to win five years in a row. “Hopefully, I have a chance this year. I’ve set myself up. I have three more rounds ... a long way to go.â€
Chad Campbell and Darren Clarke shot bogey-free rounds of 66. Shigeki Maruyama also shot a 66.
John Daly joined the chase, returning from a freak hand accident to shoot 68.
“This course has not been kind to me in the past,†said Daly, whose adventures at Bay Hill include an 18 on the par-five sixth hole in 1998 and an 87 in the final round in 2000. “It’s just good to play at Arnie’s tournament, and to play well for a change.â€
Tournament host Arnold Palmer, 74, received ovations at every turn, despite an 88, his highest score ever. His legion of fans had some good golf to cheer, as Campbell played with him for the first time.
“Showing off, trying to impress him,†Campbell joked. “I was real excited about coming out to play today. It’s a pretty memorable experience. We owe him so much.â€
Campbell, who ended last year by winning the Tour Championship, chipped in from 45 feet on the tough par-three second hole.
Clarke had to scramble a couple of times. He holed a 20-foot par putt on No. 6 after a poor chip from behind the green, and got away with a chunked approach on No. 18 by chipping to five feet for another good save.
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Michelle Wie got the attention, but Kim Saiki got the birdies in the opening round of the Safeway International at Superstition Mountain, Ariz.
Saiki, never a winner in 12 years on the LPGA Tour, shot a career-low eight-under 64 for a three-shot lead over Annika Sorenstam and defending champion Se Ri Pak.
Donna Andrews and Jennifer Rosales joined Sorenstam and Pak at five-under 67.
By far the largest gallery belonged to Wie, with hundreds following the 14-year-old around the sun-baked Superstition Mountain Golf Club course in the desert 50 miles east of Phoenix, where the temperature topped 90 degrees.
Wie, making the first of six LPGA starts this year, shot an even-par 72 that could easily have been a 69.
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