CHASKA, Minnesota, (Reuters) – Tiger Woods fired a five-under-par 67 to set the early pace at the U.S. PGA Championship yesterday and further demoralised his rivals by saying he just scratched the surface of his scoring potential.
“I played really well today,” Woods told reporters after ending the first round a stroke in front of his playing partner Padraig Harrington of Ireland, the defending champion.
“I hit just a bunch of good shots. And this round could have been really low. I missed a bunch of putts out there.”
Woods may have been disappointed by squandered opportunities on the greens but he helped himself to five birdies in his bogey-free round.
He rolled in a 20-footer to birdie the 12th, his third hole of the day, dropped in another 20-footer for birdie at the second and sank a 30-foot birdie putt at the next on his way around the monster Hazeltine National layout.
“Today I was very consistent. I hit my irons well,” he said. “And as I said, I hit a lot of good putts that were skirting the edge and lipping out.”
The 33-year-old American found 12 of 14 fairways and hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation on the 7,674-yard Hazeltine layout that is the longest to host a major championship.
Hungering for his first major win since last year’s U.S. Open after being sidelined for eight months following knee surgery, Woods is playing in his third tournament in as many weeks.
The world number one usually likes a more relaxed run-up to a major but stepped up his pace after missing the cut at last month’s British Open. Two weeks ago, he won the Buick Classic before clinching the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday.
“I had that nice little rest there after the British Open, those two days, that’s what got me,” Woods joked about missing the weekend rounds at Turnberry. “I have plenty of energy.” Asked what he had been doing last year at this time, he replied: “I was just now starting to try and walk without a brace.
“I wasn’t very good at it, just trying to get a little bit of flexibility at the time. Walking in a pool and all those different things. But I couldn’t do much of anything.”
Woods, who tied for sixth this year at the U.S. Masters and U.S. Open, is seeking his 15th major and a record-equalling fifth PGA crown that would tie him with Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.
“I feel pretty comfortable if I’m playing well. No doubt,” he said about his confidence level. “There are times I’ve put it together and I’ve had some pretty good margins of victory.
“When I’m playing well, I usually don’t make that many mistakes.”
Among his major triumphs, Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open by 15 shots, the 1997 Masters by 12 and the 2000 British Open by eight.
“It’s always nice to get off quick,” he said. “You can play yourself out of a golf tournament in the first round but you certainly cannot win the golf tournament on the first day.”
