Trio lead after rain delays

Tiger Woods hit tee shots to the left, approach shots to the right and eventually moved out of the way for an older generation of leaders at The Players Championships.

That's Players -- plural.

Jay Haas, Rocco Mediate and Bob Tway, all in their 40s, showed there was more than one player in The Players Championship on Thursday, sharing the clubhouse lead at 4-under 68 in the rain-delayed first round at golf's first big event of the year.

Also at 68 was Skip Kendall, the youngster in the group. He's 38.

Woods was a 2-year-old appearing on the ``Mike Douglas Show'' when Haas competed in his first Players Championship in 1977. In swirling winds and under the threat of rain, Haas showed no signs that he was one year away from joining the Champions Tour.

He might change his mind.

``I guess if I've played this well for the whole year, I might think differently,'' Haas said. ``It's a nice problem to have.''

Woods had his own problems.

Coming off an 11-stroke victory at Bay Hill last week, he spent most of the morning playing from ankle-deep grass. Woods rallied over the final few holes for an even-par 72.

``Just trying to get to even par would have been a heck of an accomplishment considering the way I was hitting it today,'' Woods said. ``I'm very happy to end up where I was.''

Overnight showers drenched the TPC at Sawgrass, and a batch of afternoon thunderstorms finally suspended the first round with 68 players still on the course.

They will return at 7:30 a.m. Friday.

Kevin Sutherland was at 4 under par through 16 holes. Others who didn't finish include Fred Couples, a two-time winner at The Players Championship. He was the only player to get to 5 under par, but back-to-back bogeys dropped him to 3-under with four holes to play.

Stewart Cink, who played in the final group with Woods last week at Bay Hill, had a 69, while John Daly was in the group at 70.

All eyes were on Woods coming into The Players Championship, not just because of his three victories in four tournaments this year, but how easily he was winning.

From his opening tee shot that sailed toward the trees, it was clear Woods was not going to breeze through the round. After going 47 straight holes without a bogey, Woods made two in a row. He was never under par in his round.

The rain made Sawgrass play a little easier, but not much. Even in the early hours of the tournament, the grass on the greens was starting to turn brown and the scores stayed relatively high.

Only 21 of the 76 players who finished the first round broke par.

``I've seen it a lot harder, but it wasn't a pushover by any means,'' Haas said.

Haas has never finished higher than eighth in The Players Championship, although he seems to be defying the odds wherever he goes.

He nearly won at the Bob Hope Classic, and reached the quarterfinals of the Match Play Championship. That has put him on the cusp of earning an invitation to the Masters, but he probably needs a top-five finish this week.

``It was one of my goals at the start of the year to be playing again in the Masters,'' Haas said. ``I don't think it would ruin my year if I don't.''

Michael Campbell of New Zealand wasn't about to let one round ruin his career.

He hit an 8-iron to 6 feet on the 18th and holed the putt for his only birdie of the day and an 89. Campbell injured his left shoulder while toting his suitcase a few weeks ago, and he still hasn't recovered.

``I was feeling comfortable on the range,'' Campbell said. ``As soon as I hit a few bad shots, my confidence went to pieces.''

The good news?

``I finished strong,'' he said with a smile. ``I at least had to break 90.''

Greg Norman, playing in his first PGA Tour event of the year, had a 78. The only way the Shark can return to the Augusta National is to win this week, so he likely will be watching this year's Masters from his 285-foot aluminum yacht.

David Duval, who lives a few miles from the course and won The Players in 1999 to become No. 1 in the world, continued to struggle. He was 1-under over his first nine holes, didn't hit a fairway on the front nine and wound up with a 76.

Another hometown favorite is the 40-year-old Mediate, who was poised to win last year until closing with a 73 to finish three shots behind.

He's back for another chance, although he knows better than to look too far ahead.

``The beauty of our game is you've got to do it for four days,'' Mediate said. ``If you don't, this day is worthless.''

Despite the thunderstorms, the day wasn't a total loss.

The island-green 17th continued to provide a massive gallery with a thrill-a-minute, particularly when Jay Williamson's tee shot went over the green and bounced along the bridge until it hopped into the rough. His next shot bounced back up the bridge, and he managed to escape with a bogey.

Woods only had three bogeys on his card, although it could have been much worse. He hit only six fairways, and spent a lot of time standing on the sides of grassy hills and on the slopes of bunkers, places he hasn't been in a while.

His short game, as usual, saved him.

``These are a heck of a lot tougher than those 65s,'' he said. ``Those days, things just go your way. You hit shots, you're making putts, everything is pretty easy. On a day like today, it was a lot of hard work.''

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