Tiger five back in defense of first tour title

By TIM DAHLBERG

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS -- For Billy Andrade, the Las Vegas Invitational is not so much about winning a golf tournament, but playing his way into one. For John Adams, it's all about securing at least another year on the PGA Tour.

Both Andrade and Adams made some progress toward their goals Wednesday, with Adams shooting a 9-under-par 63 to tie Bill Glasson for the lead in the five-day tournament and Andrade shooting a 64 to tie two others one shot behind.

Six others were another shot back, while Tiger Woods opened defense of his first pro title with a 68. Unlike the other golfers, Woods shot his score at the Desert Inn Country Club, considered the more demanding of the three courses uses for the tournament.

Woods, playing with three amateurs, bettered by three strokes the opening 71 he shot in winning here a year ago.

"It wasn't too bad. I hit a lot of good shots today," Woods said before leaving in a hotel-casino limousine. "I'm feeling great."

Andrade and Adams, meanwhile, are on bubbles, but entirely different ones as they try to firm up their positions on the money list in the final regular season tournament of the year.

A win worth $297,000 is enticing, but the real battle for many golfers this week is either to get into next week's Tour Championship or make enough money to avoid going to the dreaded qualifying school for next season.

"Certain guys are trying to save their lives and certain guys are trying to get into the Tour Championship," Andrade said.

Andrade is 30th on the money list and can't drop any lower if he wants to play in next week's $3 million Tour Championship in Houston. He won't have much to worry about if he continues to play like he did Wednesday, making eight birdies and no bogeys on the benign TPC Summerlin host course.

"I'm the bubble man and I want to play next week," Andrade said. "I need to have a nice week this week to do that."

Adams, meanwhile, doesn't have a chance of playing in the Tour Championship. He's battling to remain among the top 125 and retain his exempt status on the tour for at least another year.

Adams also played at TPC, where he started slowly with four straight pars, then played the next 14 holes in 9-under. Adams, 118th on the money list at $188,986, jump-started his round with an eagle from 30 feet on No. 9, then birdied five holes on the back from 15 feet or less.

"Everybody wants to get off to a good start," said Adams, who has never won in 20 years on the PGA Tour. "When you play a five-round tournament, you need a round like this."

Billy Mayfair, another golfer on the bubble, needs to jump from 139th on the money list to be exempt next year. Mayfair, a three-time winner, needs to win about $40,000 to retain his tour card.