Tiger opens with record equalling round

Here's one way to quiet all that talk about a slump.

Tiger Woods tied a course and tournament record with a 9-under 63 Thursday, taking a 2-stroke lead at the 100th Western Open. It was his lowest round of the year, and his best since he shot a 63 in the final round of the Disney Golf Classic last October.

Woods is the 13th player to shoot 63 at the Western - a tournament he's won twice - and the first since 2000.

Talk that Woods was in slump was building even before the U.S. Open. After winning three of his first four events this year, he wasn't a factor at the Masters and wasn't in contention at his next two tournaments.

But it was a disappointing weekend at the Open, also played in the Chicago area, that really got the chatter going. He struggled with a balky putter all week, and never made the charge fans expected. For the first time in four years, he didn't own a title from one of the four major championships.

Woods insisted Wednesday that his game was fine - and he more than backed that up Thursday. He hit 10 of 14 fairways, and 15 of 18 greens. And that putter that's given him so much trouble? He needed only 27 putts for the day.

He's two strokes ahead of David Toms, who shot a 7-under 65, while defending champion Jerry Kelly had a 66.

Starting on the back nine, Woods gave notice early that he meant business, making a 24-footer for eagle on the par-5 11th. He pointed at the hole as the ball dropped into the cup, and the crowd erupted into cheers of "Eagle! Eagle!''

Woods grinned, bumping fists with caddie Steve Williams.

But a few minutes later, those old frustrations were back. His 2-foot par putt on the par-3 12th banged off the back edge of the cup and caromed out. Woods tapped in for a bogey, and was clearly disgusted as he walked off the green, muttering and smacking his hat against a tree.

He came right back with a birdie on 13, and added birdies on 15 and 16. A rain delay of 1 hour and 41 minutes interrupted his round after teeing off on the 18th hole, and Woods looked a little rusty when play resumed.

He hit a bad second shot, tossing his club as the ball landed on the fringe of the green. He chipped on, and things had the potential to get really ugly when his ball rolled all the way across the green and onto the fringe on the other side.

But he made a spectacular chip-in to save par, pumping his fist and smiling when the ball rolled in.

And with the sun starting to set, Woods took off, making three straight birdies on his back nine. He made birdie putts of 10, 4 and 10 feet to get to 8-under.

He capped his round with one more birdie, this one from less than 2 feet on the par-5 9th.

As dazzling as his round was, it could have been even more impressive. He missed four birdie putts within 10 feet, as well as a 5-footer for par.

Masters champion Mike Weir looked as if he was going to make a charge with making four straight birdies after the rain delay. But his drive on 18 landed in a triangle of bunkers behind some trees on the right side of the fairway and he made a double-bogey to finish at 67.

Toms was up early for a morning tee time, fitting considering how little sleep he's gotten this week. After winning the St. Jude Classic last weekend, he left Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday night and flew to Muscle Shoals, Ala., for a charity event Monday.

The event was rained out after nine holes, and he flew to Chicago for a PGA Tour policy board meeting Monday night. The meeting continued Tuesday morning, and he had to find some time to practice in the afternoon. And Wednesday was the pro-am.

"I've been busy,'' Toms said.

You think?

While Toms was still tired when he went out for his early morning round Thursday, a 50-foot birdie putt on the first hole got him going pretty quickly.

"It was the best putting round I've had in a very long while,'' Toms said. "I just putted fantastic today.''

He made five birdie putts of 15 feet or longer, including a 20-footer on 18. He had just 25 putts for the round, never needed more than two putts, and two-putted only three times in the final nine holes.

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