Woods, Mickelson top star-laden leaderboard
By RUSTY MILLER / AP Sports Writer
AKRON, Ohio (AP) - Tiger Woods bogeyed the final hole and defending champion Phil Mickelson birdied it to share the lead at 3-under-par 67 Thursday after the opening round of the NEC World Series of Golf.
Just a shot off the lead was a star-studded group of six that included: U.S. Open champion Ernie Els, Davis Love III, fresh from winning the PGA Championship, Greg Norman, Nick Price, Mark O'Meara and John Cook.
Trailed by a record gallery that crowded several deep around the ropes to watch his every move, Woods didn't disappoint in his first professional appearance at soggy Firestone Country Club.
The course was pounded by heavy rains just before the first group teed off and again as the leaders played the back nine. Long hitters had a big advantage off the tee on the 7,149-yard course - which several players said was actually a couple hundred yards longer.
Woods dodged trouble at the signature 16th, the 625-yard hole dubbed "The Monster." He pushed his iron approach far to the right of the green, but flopped a sand wedge to 4 feet and then rolled in his par putt while the crowd roared its approval.
At the 392-yard, par-4 17th, his 7-iron second shot ended up 4 feet from the hole. He tapped in to expand his lead to two strokes.
The runaway winner of the Masters in April had that cut in half when he pulled his drive deep in the left rough near a drainage grate on the par-4 finishing hole. His 8-iron cut shot caught a tree and dropped short of the green. He chipped to 18 feet, but missed his par putt.
Mickelson got off to a rocky start with a bogey, but righted himself to take the lead with birdies at 10 and 11. Bogeys at 12 and 13 cost him the outright lead, but he rolled in a birdie putt on the par-4 18th to grab a share of the lead.
The crowd lurking a shot back included the winners of half of this years majors (Els and Love), a past World Series winner with three major titles (Price), a two-time British Open champion and a perennial threat in the majors (Norman), a two-time winner this year (O'Meara) and a local favorite who grew up in Akron and whose father is the World Series' tournament manager (Cook).
The winner of the World Series collects $396,000 from a $2.2 million purse - not to mention a 10-year PGA Tour exemption. Only winners of international events are invited to play.
Nick Faldo, winner of six grand slam events including three British Opens, was at 3-over 73 along with reigning British Open champion Justin Leonard.