Todd shares early lead as Tiger makes erratic start
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, August 8, 2014
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Tiger Woods lines up a putt during the first round of the 2014 PGA Championship. |
Unheralded American Brendon Todd moved into an early three-way tie for the lead at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, yesterday while four-time winner Tiger Woods made an erratic start to the opening round.
Woods, watched by huge galleries after teeing off from the 10th in a high-profile grouping with former champions Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington, looked rusty as he bogeyed the 11th and 14th to slip five strokes off the pace.
Having pronounced himself pain-free on Wednesday after suffering a back scare on Sunday, Woods missed the green to the right at the par-3 11th, then chipped 13 feet past the cup before failing to make the par putt coming back.
The American's tee shot at the par-3 14th sailed way left and again he failed to get up and down for par, but he then picked up an unlikely birdie at the par-4 16th when he holed out from 34 yards in the middle of the fairway.
That left him at 1 over for the round at Valhalla Golf Club, four behind Todd, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Mikko Ilonen of Finland.
Journeyman Todd, making his first appearance in the year's final major, mixed four birdies and a lone bogey in his first seven holes before reaching the turn in 3-under 32.
He was joined at the top by Matsuyama, who was 3 under after 10 holes, and Ilonen, who made a sizzling birdie-birdie-birdie start after teeing off at the par-5 10th.
Four-time major winner Ernie Els of South Africa and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson were among a large group knotted at 2 under.
British Open champion and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, the pre-tournament favorite who is bidding for a third consecutive victory on the PGA Tour, was among the late starters.
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