Refreshed Woods plays well, challenges O'Meara
By MIKE NADEL / AP Sports Writer
LEMONT, Ill. (AP) - Back from a one-week respite, rejuvenated
Tiger Woods shot a 5-under-par 67 in the first round of the Western
Open on Thursday and trailed Mark O'Meara by just one stroke.
"Last few weeks, I've been kind of tired. When I went
home last week, I just put the clubs away for a little bit,"
said Woods, who hadn't broken par in 11 of his previous 12 rounds.
"I was fresh, ready to go."
Dave Stockton Jr., Jim Furyk and Phil Blackmar also were one
shot behind O'Meara in the $2 million, Motorola-sponsored tournament
at Cog Hill's Dubsdread course.
David Duval was another stroke back. Defending champion Steve
Stricker, who has struggled all season, was part of a group at
3-under, three back.
Woods, who leads the PGA Tour with more than $1.4 million in
earnings, had an average take of only $13,428 in finishing 67th,
19th and 43rd in his last three tournaments. So the 21-year-old
Masters champion spent a week fishing, watching TV and relaxing.
Much of the time he was hanging out with his Orlando-area neighbor,
O'Meara, who also has slumped recently.
After finishing fifth on the money list last season and winning
twice in his first four tournaments this year, O'Meara hasn't
won. And since tying for third in the Bay Hill Invitational in
March, he has finished higher than 30th in only one of eight events.
"I putted extremely well. I hit the ball a little bit
better," said O'Meara, whose 66 included an eagle on the
par-5 15th. "My short game was good, and that pretty much
carried me through the round."
Woods opened with two birdies, closed with two birdies and
had three consecutive birdies midway through the round. On his
final hole - the 568-yard, par-5 9th - he drove 316 yards into
a 14 mph wind, hit a 3-wood past the pin and two-putted.
It wasn't a perfect round, though. On No. 18, he missed a 6-foot
par putt. After he tapped in for one of his two bogeys, he pulled
the ball from the cup and threw it into the pond to the left of
the green.
"I was just frustrated ... trying to punish the ball,"
Woods said. "I think it deserved to go in the water."
Divots: Nick Price, who won the tournament in 1993 and
1994, withdrew before the round due to a shoulder problem. ...
Blackmar got to 5-under with a birdie putt from the fringe on
17 and a birdie chip from the rough on 18. ... Attendance was
40,106, largest ever for a Thursday at the Western. ... Comedian
Bill Murray caddied for Scott Simpson. ... Earlier in the week,
O'Meara and Woods saw the movie "Men In Black" together.
They gave it two thumbs up.
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