Six share lead with Tiger a shot back

A score that would have left Tiger Woods in the middle of the pack at most PGA Tour events kept him in contention Thursday as he bids for his fourth straight title at the Bay Hill Invitational.

Six players were tied for the lead at 3-under 69, the highest score in relation to par for an 18-hole lead since Woods shot 3 under in the U.S. Open last year at Bethpage Black. Woods was one stroke back.

Indeed, Bay Hill proved to be a major test with its swirling winds, stifling heat and greens as hard has concrete.

"If these greens get baked out, if this wind stays up, it could be one of the tougher golf courses we'll face, except for the majors," Woods said after birdies on two of the last three holes.

The leaders were Stewart Cink, Jeff Maggert, Jonathan Kaye, J.L. Lewis and Aaron Baddeley and Trevor Immelman, a 23-year-old South African who was the only afternoon starter to break 70.

"This golf course doesn't let up, which is good," Baddeley said. "You're going to find out who's playing the best this week."

Ernie Els might have been closer to the lead if not for one hole. He three-putted from 4 feet on the par-3 14th and took triple bogey, giving him a 74.

Bay Hill was too much for Arnold Palmer, the 73-year-old tournament host playing in what likely will be his final PGA Tour event.

The King had a 15-over 87, his worst round ever at Bay Hill. It didn't seem to matter. Palmer had the largest gallery of a steamy afternoon, and his army cheered every step and all 87 strokes.

"For some reason, I look forward to tomorrow," Palmer said, sipping a tall can of beer as he relaxed in a golf cart. "I wasn't miserable out there."

Jack Nicklaus seemed like he was.

The Golden Bear, trying to decide whether he wants to play in the Masters, blasted out of a bunker, across the green and into the hazard on the 18th. He took triple bogey, finished with an 82 and left the course without talking to reporters.

Other players grumbled about the setup, but Palmer wouldn't hear of it.

"They thought it was too hard? Aaahhh, that's too bad," Palmer said with a mocking pout on his face. "What the hell? It was the same for everybody. What do they do when they play the National Open? Or the TPC? Or the Masters?

"I had the worst score on the board, and I thought the golf course was fair."

The scores looked like they belonged in a major.

Only 19 players managed to break par, a stark contrast to last week at the Honda Classic, where the cut tied a PGA Tour record at 6 under and the winner score was 24 under.

At Bay Hill, nine players shot 80 or worse, and Rory Sabbatini matched Palmer's 87. David Duval had to finish with two tough pars for a 79, narrowly avoiding his second consecutive round in the 80s.

Michael Campbell took three tee shots to get the ball in play on his opening hole, took a 10 and withdrew two holes later with a shoulder injury. Bob May hit three balls in the water on No. 6 and made an 11.

"I think it's the toughest golf course I've played this year," said Els, who has won twice in Hawaii and twice in Australia.

Els was in the middle of the fairway on No. 11 with a wedge in his hands, and hit an approach that landed next to the hole. The ball hopped high and finally stopped 30 feet away, as Els slumped his shoulders in disbelief.

That was a common sight at Bay Hill.

Woods biggest mistake of the round led to a birdie. He blistered a 2-iron down the fairway on No. 18 and had 156 yards over the water and to the flag. The ball narrowly cleared the hazard and stopped 10 feet behind the hole.

"I didn't mean to land it there," Woods said sheepishly. "I tried to hit it flag-high and get to the back of the green."

He also birdied the par-5 16th with a second shot that covered the flag and stopped 40 feet away. That led Woods to inquire, "Did the ball land short of the hole?"

He didn't bother fixing his pitch mark because he couldn't find one, which seemed to be the case throughout his round.

"I found probably seven or eight," Woods said. "Some of them weren't mine."

Brad Faxon knows the feeling.

He was among those at 70, and his best shot was a 9-iron into tap-in range on No. 13. When Faxon arrived on the green, he looked about 5 feet short of the hole for his pitch mark and was surprised to see it close to the hole.

The 69 matched the highest opening-round score by a leader in the 25-year history of the Bay Hill Invitational. The other time was in 1993.

Cink and Kaye were in the first group and had the easiest conditions, although that didn't last long. The wind gusted and swirled, and the greens only got harder.

"Anything under 70 today is going to be an excellent, and par or better is very sensible," Cink said after he finished.

Turns out that anything under 70 was good enough for the lead.

Divots: Vijay Singh ended the longest layoff of his career. The big Fijian said he suffered a stress fracture in his left ribs caused by a sponge ball that he keeps in his armpit while practicing. The ball slipped too low without Singh realizing it. "I'm not expecting much this week," Singh said. He hit the ball well, but struggled on the greens and shot 75. ... The last time six players were tied for the 18-hole lead was at Bay Hill last year.

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