Tiger, Daly shoot 67s at Bay Hill

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Posted 7:05AM on Friday, March 15, 2002

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - Tiger Woods was among six leaders after the first round of the Bay Hill Invitational, not surprising because he's the two-time defending champion. John Daly at the top was another matter. This is the guy who took an 18 on the sixth hole at Bay Hill in 1998 by hitting a 3-wood into the water six times. Two years ago, Daly shot 87 in the final round, a worse score than 72-year-old host Arnold Palmer has ever posted in the Bay Hill Invitational. ``I've always loved coming here for Arnie, and never really played any good,'' Daly said Thursday. ``So, it's good to get off to a good start.'' Woods and Daly were at 5-under 67, joined by Angel Cabrera, John Huston, 48-year-old D.A. Weibring and Steve Flesch, the only one among the leaders who teed off late. As far as the fans were concerned, there were really only two guys playing in the morning batch - and they didn't have to roam far to find them. The gallery stretched over two holes, watching Woods work magic on his short game for a bogey-free 67 and his first opening-round lead since the Canadian Open. Right behind him was Daly, booming big drives and avoiding big numbers. ``It was kind of neat to play behind him,'' Daly said. ``I knew he was playing good. It was kind of cool, because the gallery watched both of us all day.'' They were treated to an entertaining round of golf. Woods hit only nine greens in regulation and took just 21 putts, although the number is a little misleading because several of them were from just on the fringe. Still, ``My short game bailed me out, and I made a lot of putts today,'' he said. He also did a good job blocking the distraction. Usually, Woods has to deal with fans bustling around him and photographers scrambling to get into position. He did have one odd moment when a car alarm went off as he was standing over a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 4. Woods never backed off and holed the putt, the start of three straight birdies that made him a factor early. On Thursday, he couldn't help but notice the noise behind him. Woods was surrounded by a large gallery on the 18th tee, and they let out an enormous cheer. The problem was, their backs were turned to Woods as they watched Daly's tee shot on the par-3 17th take dead aim at the flag and burn the left edge of the cup. ``He's playing really well and people love to see John play well,'' Woods said. Daly stayed in the hunt by saving bogey on No. 13 after dumping a wedge into the water. Three holes later, he hit 6-iron from 207 yards to 19 feet behind the cup and holed it for eagle, putting him in a tie for the lead. ``I like the way I'm playing now,'' said Daly, who has switched to a slight cut off the tee, which costs him a little distance in return for greater accuracy. Woods and Daly have played in the same group only once in their careers, the rainy third round of the 1997 Memorial. Woods recalls the time they played in the 1996 Skins Game, when ABC made some fairways look like football fields to measure their drives. Being one group apart was different. ``When you're playing, there's a pretty good-sized gallery and then it disperses,'' Woods said. ``And today, it almost seemed like it was two holes of a wall.'' Woods didn't disappoint, either. He is hitting the ball well, rounding his game into form during the annual springtime march toward the Masters. It was the first time Woods had at least a share of the first-round lead on the PGA Tour since the Canadian Open in September, where he opened with a 65 and wound up in a tie for 23rd at Royal Montreal. Thursday's 67 was his ninth consecutive round below par at Bay Hill, where he is trying to win for the third straight year. Woods already has won three in a row at Firestone and the Memorial, and no player has ever pulled off a hat trick at three tournaments. ``I've played well here in the past, and you usually get good vibes when you're able to come back to the golf course where you've won,'' Woods said. The greens were redesigned, but one thing remained the same. It is often hard to separate players at Bay Hill, as evidenced by the six-way tie for the lead. Four others were at 68, including Sergio Garcia, while Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange were among 11 players at 69. Ernie Els, trying to win for the third straight week, had a 70.