Els takes narrow lead over Duval

On a course set up like a major championship, leave it to the Big Easy to make it look just that -- easy -- in the first round of the Tour Championship.

Ernie Els, a two-time U.S. Open champion wanting to atone for his dismal performance in the Presidents Cup, cruised around East Lake Golf Club today for a 6-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over David Duval.

"Hopefully, this is a stepping stone for better things to come," he said.

Tiger Woods didn't have a memorable round, just another shot that left the gallery buzzing.

With a tree behind him and 163 yards to the front of the fifth green, he whipped his body into a 9-iron that he aimed sideways with a snap hook. The ball stopped just short of the putting surface, and Woods then nearly holed the 75-foot putt.

He settled for par, which was the story of his round -- 16 pars and two birdies for a 68, which left him four shots behind and not terribly worried.

"This is set up a lot like a major,'' Woods said after his 40th consecutive round at par or better on the PGA Tour. "You have to grind your way around. I hit some squirrelly shots out there, so I'm glad to be 2-under.

"I was about a yard off all day. If I can correct that, I should have a chance.''

Steve Flesch, who came within a 7-foot putt of getting into a playoff at Disney World last week, joined Els and Woods as the only players to avoid bogey on an East Lake course with punishing rough and tabletop greens.

Flesch and Davis Love III were at 66, while Phil Mickelson had a 67. Thirteen of the 29 players in the field broke par.

Woods is trying to join Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, and Sam Snead as the only players to win at least 10 times on tour in a season. Els has been his favorite victim this year, a runner-up to Woods four times.

But more than trying to beat Woods, the big South African known as the "Big Easy'' simply wants to get beyond a disastrous performance two weeks ago in the Presidents Cup, when he became the first player to lose all five of his matches.

Instead of heading for the practice range, Els went to the Bahamas with his wife and daughter and had an ideal week. He won $400 gambling for the week. He didn't touch a club for five days. There was no television, no newspapers.

"Whatever you guys wrote about me, I guess you could have written whatever you wanted to because my play really (stunk),'' he said. "I just wanted to get back here and get into playing golf again and try to enjoy myself."

He must have wondered how this $5 million tournament would shape up after his first shot, a perfect 3-wood down the middle that hit a sprinkler and ricocheted 30 yards backward, leaving him a downhill lie.

"I was a little worried about that bounce,'' he said.

No need for that. He hit a 7-iron into 35 feet, made the birdie putt and lumbered around the course where Bobby Jones grew up. Els played a game that looked strikingly similar to that of the guy who won the U.S. Open in 1994 and 1997.

He missed only two fairways and was never in danger of a bogey. He made putts of 20 feet on No. 4 and a 35-footer on No. 5, then picked up three short birdies on the back and even wasted two short chances coming in.

"You can play any kind of a major championship on this golf course,'' Els said. "It's going to test your whole game.''

His game passed with flying colors on a warm day without a breath of wind.

Duval's game held up as well, and so did his back. Playing in only his fourth stroke-play tournament since the British Open, Duval made three birdies inside 8 feet on the back nine.

"My game is such that when I'm playing well, I control distances very well and I'm an excellent putter," Duval said. "I'm getting back to that."

In a tournament for the top 30 on the money list, it's only fitting that Els and Duval were at the top of the leaderboard and will be paired Friday. They are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the world, and have been spinning their wheels as Woods gave "dominance in golf'' a new definition this year.

Along with winning four of the last five majors to complete the Grand Slam, Woods has won 13 of his last 22 events on the PGA Tour, while Els and Duval have one victory apiece.

Duval is playing in the same tournament as Woods for the first time since the Open, when he was six strokes behind in the final round and trimmed it to three early on before struggling at the end, getting stuck in the Road Hole bunker and finishing in 11th place.

At least he kept one streak going -- he has never finished second to Woods.

Els has been runner-up five times to Woods in the last 53 weeks, but in two of those -- the U.S. Open and British Open - he never really had a chance. And Els was hardly worried about Woods today.

"I'm going to try and play as good as I can this week," he said. "If I get beat by Tiger again it will be six. But who cares? I'm going to do my thing."

His thing is to raise his game on the tough courses. In that respect, East Lake proved to be the perfect tonic.

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