Major lessons for Woods at PGA
By TIM DAHLBERG
AP Sports Writer
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- Tiger Woods was still on the practice
green when his lead evaporated today in the PGA Championship.
Vijay Singh made five birdies on the front side to shoot a
30 and take temporary possession of the lead under ideal conditions
at Sahalee Country Club.
Woods, who shot a 66 on Thursday, was still an hour away from
teeing off in the second round when Singh sank a birdie putt on
the ninth hole to move to 5-under for the tournament, a stroke
ahead of Woods. Sing was still at 5-under through 15 holes.
Once he started play, Woods had a good chance to get to 5-under
himself but missed a 5-footer for birdie on the second hole to
remain a shot back.
Another stroke back was Colin Montgomerie, who had a shot at
matching the course record Woods set the day before but had to
settle for a 67 after making bogey on the 18th hole from the rough.
Steve Elkington, the 1995 champion, was at 2-under-138 after
his second straight 69.
Woods showed Thursday he learned that one round doesn't make
a tournament, refusing to get too excited even after shooting
66 to take a two-stroke lead over eight others after the first
round.
With perfect weather continuing today and birdies beginning
to come in bunches at tree-lined Sahalee, it appeared Woods had
the right attitude.
"I'm not going to put any more pressure on myself because
I am near the lead right now," Woods said. "With three
days to go, it's an eternity. You just have to go out there and
hold your own for three more days."
Woods did more than hold his own on opening day under the towering
trees. With the driver stuck firmly in his bag, he turned to his
putter to sink six putts of 15 feet or longer.
By his own admission, it wasn't a great ball-striking day.
But with only 27 putts needed to navigate the slick greens of
Sahalee, the irons can be a little off.
After a bogey on the first hole and an adventurous iron shot
on the second, it seemed almost easy for Woods, who capped his
round with a 35-foot downhiller for birdie on the par-3 17th.
Not far from his mind where the lessons learned at last month's
British Open, where after leading with a 65 in the first round
he followed with a 77.
"I know how difficult it is to win a major," Woods
said. "At Augusta I was fortunate enough to play 63 straight
holes where my game was pretty much right on. And it was -- trust
me -- a lot of fun. But it has taught me how difficult it is to
win."
On a day when several players made a run at the lead, only
to fall back on the back nine, Woods posted his score before many
in the 150-player field had even teed off.
By the time they struggled in, there were eight golfers at
68, including Glen Day, who was 5-under at one point before taking
a double bogey on the par-4 15th.
"They don't pay you for leading on Thursday," Day
said.
Among those clustered two shots back was Billy Andrade, the
ninth alternate who got in only after Steve Jones withdrew following
the sudden death of a close friend. Also at 68 was Paul Azinger
and Craig Stadler, who was at 3-under before three-putting the
final hole.
Masters and British Open winner Mark O'Meara, trying to become
the first to win three majors since Ben Hogan 45 years ago, bogeyed
two of the first three holes before recovering for a 69 that left
him three back.
"I kept myself in the ball game," O'Meara said. "I
saw on the leaderboard that Tiger shot 4-under and had a super
round. But I expected him to play well."
With just the hint of a breeze wafting through the firs and
cedars that line the fairways of the 6,906-yard course, conditions
couldn't have been any better.
"Since the greens are so perfect, you just need to set
the ball on the line," Woods said. "It's going to go
in the hole and you start walking."
However, not everyone thrived.
John Daly took a triple-bogey 7 on the final hole to shoot
80, while David Duval and U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen both had
76s.
Woods, who has won only once in the United States this year,
didn't look like much like a contender when he pushed a 2-iron
off the first tee into the right rough, then hacked an 8-iron
out to make bogey.
He looked even shakier after pulling out a 3-iron from 220
yards on the par-5 second hole and aiming it for the center of
the green. Instead, he hit it thin and had to beg for it to clear
a pond that guards the right side of the green.
"Go, Go," Woods yelled at the ball, saying later,
"I was sure it was wet."
Instead, it landed on the fringe, and he chipped to 2 feet
for a birdie, the first of seven on the day.
The break came early, but it was the kind of break Woods didn't
get when he finished a stroke out of a playoff in the British
Open last month. It's the kind of break he'll need to win the
second major title of his career at 22.
"I'm very pleased with the way I've played in the majors
this year. Unfortunately, I haven't won one yet, but I've been
right there," Woods said. "And that's all you can ask
for, just be consistent and give yourself a chance. It's just
a matter of time before the breaks start falling your way."
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