KOHLER, Wisconsin, (Reuters) – Bubba Watson charged into a tie for the early lead in the U.S. PGA Championship first round yesterday as fellow American Tiger Woods lost ground after making a red-hot start.
On a rain-softened Whistling Straits layout demanding precision off the tee, left-hander Watson birdied three of his last seven holes for a four-under-par 68 to set the pace with Italian Francesco Molinari.
“It was a great day,” the long-hitting Watson told reporters after a round featuring six birdies and two bogeys. “My mental focus was really good and I just putted really well. I kept it going by making some putts.”
American Ryan Moore briefly got to five under but bogeyed two of his last three holes for a 69 to finish level with Australian Jason Day in the year’s final major.
Former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk, Britain’s Martin Laird and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee were among a group of seven bunched on 70.
World number one Woods, who arrived at Whistling Straits after producing the worst PGA Tour performance of his career last week, briefly moved into an early tie for the lead at three under on the way to a 71.
He birdied three of his first four holes after teeing off at the 10th to electrify the massive galleries watching his every move but paid the penalty for a couple of poor drives before signing off with a birdie at the ninth.
“I felt like I had control of the ball for most of the day,” Woods said after erasing memories of his nightmare finish at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday when he closed with an ugly 77.
“It would have been very disappointing and frustrating to end up at even par as well as I played today. I struggled last week, had to put in some work and felt good today.”
On a breezy, sun-splashed day on the Straits Course where fog delayed the start by more than three hours, Woods launched his bid for a first win of the season in confident style.
After being warmly greeted by the fans packed around the 10th tee, he struck a three-wood to the left side of the fairway before hitting a wedge approach to 10 feet and coolly sinking the putt for a birdie three.
A booming drive at the par-five 11th was followed by an iron second shot which ended up 40 yards left of the pin just off the green.
Woods, who has worked hard this week to keep his head still on his down-swing, two-putted from there for another birdie before raising his right hand to acknowledge resounding cheers from the crowd.
He did well to save par at the 143-yard 12th, after getting up and down from left of the green, before hitting a superb approach to 15 feet at the 13th and rolling in a left-to-right putt to get to three under.
Woods dropped his first shot of the day at the par-four 15th, after missing the fairway off the tee, before squandering a six-foot birdie putt at the par-five 16th.
Out in two-under 34, the 14-times major winner bogeyed the par-five second after driving into a fairway bunker, finding the right rough with his second and a greenside bunker with his third.
He also bogeyed the par-three seventh after missing the green to the left but got back to under par when he knocked in a seven-footer at the ninth.
Because of the fog delay earlier in the day, the opening round was certain to spill over into Friday with 2005 champion Phil Mickelson among those likely to be affected.