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Goosen leads after first
day of Grand Slam
Masters champion Tiger Woods didn't shoot his best golf Tuesday, but still
managed to play himself into contention for his fourth consecutive PGA Grand Slam
of Golf title.
U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen shot a 6-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke
lead over Woods in the 36-hole tournament that features the winners of all four
major championships.
``I'm very happy to shoot what I shot today because I was not driving the golf
ball the way I need to drive it,'' Woods said. ``To end up 5-under par, I'm pretty
happy with that.''
PGA champion David Toms shot a 68, and British Open winner David Duval took
himself out of contention early with a pair of double-bogeys on the front nine
to finish at 76.
Woods made an initial run to defend his title again with birdies on the first
two holes at the 7,053-yard oceanside course. Goosen responded with birdies on
three of the next four holes and then checking in with an eagle-3 on the 573-yard
sixth by chipping in from 28 yards.
Goosen reached the turn at 5-under-31 with Toms, who birdied the seventh through
ninth.
Toms, however, double-bogeyed the par-3 11th -- and coupled with Woods' birdie
at the 10th -- to fall into third place. He inched back into second with consecutive
birdies on the 14th and 15th, but then bogeyed the 17th.
``At the (11th), I was 5-under par for the day and going pretty good,'' Toms
said. ``And to have that happen just kind of slows you down. I was able recover,
and unfortunately made a bad swing on 17 and made bogey there.''
Toms said he was pleased with his first round at Poipu Bay Golf Course.
``I thought I played it pretty well, and to have a chance going into tomorrow,
I guess that's really all I could ask for,'' he said.
Goosen held steady on the back nine, with a birdie on the 537-yard 14th and
pars on the rest of the holes.
``The first seven holes I played very well, and the middle of the round I was
scrambling around and didn't do much,'' he said. ``But overall, I'm very happy
with the round. Obviously, it's a nice opening round. You know I've got a pretty
good chance.''
Woods turned in an amazing save on the 573-yard sixth hole when he blasted
around a tree from 197 yards, leaving him with a 6-foot eagle attempt. He missed
the putt, but tapped the next one in for birdie.
``It came out absolutely perfect,'' he said. ``That was as good as I could
possibly hope from that lie, and it landed on the green and tumbled up.
``From there I yipped the putt over there to the right and tapped the next
one in.''
Duval shot double bogeys on the fifth hole and the par-3 seventh. He went out
of bounds on the fifth and into the water on the seventh and 18th.
``I played poorly,'' Duval said. ``I'm glad the day's over, and I'm looking
forward to the next workout this afternoon. I don't know what else to tell you.''
Goosen is trying to cap off his best season in his 11-year career. He won his
first major and the European money title, making him the first non-European to
top the list since Australia's Greg Norman in 1982.
The South African is also coming off last weekend's World Cup playoff victory
in Japan with teammate Ernie Els.
``I'm pretty confident and happy with the year, the way it's going,'' Goosen
said.
His next stop after Hawaii will be in his native country to play in the Nelson
Mandela Children's Fund event.
The Grand Slam winner will receive $400,000 from the $1 million purse.
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