Tiger Takes Lead In PGA

Tiger woods yet again seized the initiative on the first day of the PGA Tour's Deutsche Bank Championship being held in Norton, Massachusetts on Friday, in pursuit of his fifth consecutive PGA title win.

The champion leads the pack with a 5-under-par 66 with a one shot lead. It was the 10th time in his last 16 rounds he has been atop the leaderboard.

Woods got up-and-down from 90 feet for a birdie on the par-5 No. 18, leaving him a shot up on Aaron Baddeley, Bob May, Justin Rose, Joe Ogilvie and Nathan Green.

Aaron Baddeley, playing in the same group as Woods, stayed with him most of the day until having to lay up on the 18th. Defending champion Olin Brown fired a two-under 69 and is tied with 10 others.

Initially thinking that his 3- wood clipped the top branch of an oak tree had trickled down from the green and into a hazard, he soon realized it was in a bunker that put him in a position he is very familiar with- right on top of the board.

I clipped one little leaf there," Woods said. "I thought the shot would have gotten to the green as good as I hit it — evidently not. But I had a good lie (in the bunker), and it came out really nice."

He managed a few birdies along the way — a wedge to 10 feet on the first, a 7-iron to 12 feet on the sixth, and chipping in from about 30 feet on the par-5 seventh — along with one big par. After chopping up the fifth hole, Woods made a 12-foot putt for an unlikely save. In all Woods carded six birdies, including the first and 18th holes, to move ahead of a pack of five players at 4-under 67.

His opponents on Friday afternoon were swirling breezes that changed directions on nearly every hole, causing him to tiptoe his way around the front nine and play away from the flags to keep out of trouble.

“I got a lot out of my round today,” Woods said. “I played very conservatively on the front nine because of weather, but I’m in control of my golf ball. It could be a little better.”

Another feat that awaits the master is fifth straight PGA title victory again. Only three players have won five consecutive PGA tournaments -- Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Woods, whose streak spanned 2000 and 2001.

It is the final tournament before the Ryder Cup for Woods, who will be looking to reverse a string of mediocre performances when the United States takes on Europe at the K Club in Ireland. Most of his Ryder Cup teammates, including Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco, are skipping this weekend’s tournament.