Woods just ahead of rivals in Texas

Tiger Woods, despite three-putting at the last, narrowly outperformed his rivals for 2003 PGA Tour player of the year honours in the season-ending Tour Championship's first round on Thursday.

While Charles Howell III and Kenny Perry set the tournament pace with four-under-par 67s at the Champions Golf Club, Woods bounced back from a three-bogey run early on the back nine to card an opening 70.

The world number one, under pressure from Vijay Singh, Mike Weir and Davis Love III to clinch his sixth player of the year award since 1997, recovered with birdies on 14 and 16 before his late blemish, staying just in front of his three challengers.

Canadian Weir, the U.S. Masters winner, mixed five bogeys with four birdies on his way to a one-over-par 72 while 1997 U.S. PGA champion Love and U.S. money list leader Singh, playing with Woods on the day, both battled to 73s.

Singh, who must finish no worse than joint third this week to capture the PGA Tour's money title over Woods, failed to produce his red-hot form of recent weeks, mixing three bogeys with a solitary birdie at the par-five ninth.

"I still think I'm going to do well in this tournament," the Fijian told reporters. "If I get my putter working, I'm going to be all right."

Woods finished in a four-way tie for 13th at one under, with 12 players positioned above him on the leaderboard in the elite 31-strong field.

"I played well most of the day," Woods said. "I hit two bad shots back to back, two bad tee shots on 11 and 12."

Fred Funk, Jerry Kelly and Chris DiMarco shared third spot after first-round 68s, while former major winners Justin Leonard, Retief Goosen of South Africa and David Toms were among a group of seven locked at two-under 69.

The 27-year-old Woods had carved out yet another slice of golfing history merely by stepping on to the first tee, eclipsing the PGA Tour's consecutive cut record set by Byron Nelson in 1949.

Going into this week's event, the world number one had made the cut in 113 successive events, having tied Nelson's total two weeks ago at the Funai Classic in Orlando, Florida.

But since the Tour Championship does not have a cut, it was a formality that Woods would break the record in Houston.

If he plays in the season-opening Mercedes Championships in Hawaii in January, he will take his streak to 115, since that tournament also has no cut. The Mercedes is only for winners from the 2003 season.

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