It showed today, when Waldorf matched his career-low round of 9-under-par 63 in the first round to take a three-stroke lead over Tiger Woods, Jesper Parnevik and Len Mattiace.

"It was a fun day to play," Waldorf said. "I don't know if everyone else was having fun, but I thought it was."

Woods, playing his first PGA Tour event since the World Series of Golf in late August, had a three-putt bogey on his 15th hole -- the same problem that haunted him the past two weeks in Britain -- but had an otherwise routine round of 66.

John Huston, the 1992 Disney champion when he set the tournament scoring record of 26-under 262, was in a group at 67 that included 51-year-old Larry Nelson, who has won this event twice and has seven top-10 finishes.

Defending champion David Duval bogeyed the last two holes for a 68. PGA champion Vijay Singh shot 69, Mark O'Meara was at 71 and Phil Mickelson, playing Disney for the first time in six years, struggled to a 73.

Waldorf, Woods and Parnevik played the Palm course, which played about a half-stroke easier than the Magnolia. After two days of a pro-am format, the final two rounds will be played on Magnolia.

The Disney Classic isn't a week of leisure for everyone. The final full-field tournament of the season is one last chance for some players to get into the top 30 for the lucrative Tour Championship next week, and for others to get into the top 125 on the money list and keep their exempt status for 1999.

"There are a few guys right on the line of keeping their cards, so they might not go on Space Mountain as many times as the other ones do," Parnevik said.

Waldorf, 102nd on the money list this year, was on one of those bubbles two years ago -- 30th on the money list coming into the Disney, in which he tied for 29th and then waited out the final few hours at a theme park to see if Payne Stewart would knock him out of the Tour Championship.

"It was a hard way to spend time at Disney," Waldorf said. "But this week is great. I'm going to Blizzard Beach as soon as I leave here."

Despite a bogey on the final hole, his 63 was a superb effort. The 20 mph wind gusts made it difficult to gauge the distance, and dry conditions made it hard to hold the greens. Waldorf tried out a new putter today, and this one could be a keeper.

He birdied the first four holes and 10 of the first 16 from just about everywhere -- two putts over 30 feet, a chip-in from 40 feet and a couple up-and-downs on the par 5s for birdies.

"He has a new putter in his bag that he obviously liked," said Parnevik, who was in the group with Waldorf. "After the first four birdies, he had about an 85-footer on No. 5 and it lipped out. That's when I knew ... he was definitely hot today."

A putting performance like that might do Woods a world of good.

While he says his consistency has vastly improved from a year ago, Woods has only one victory on American soil this year.

Two weeks ago, he had a chance to catch Santiago Luna on the last hole of the Dunhill Cup but missed a 4-footer that gave Spain a shocking semifinal victory. And last week in the finals of the World Match Play Championship against O'Meara, Woods three-putted from about 10 feet to give his neighbor the upper hand.

"It's something you shouldn't get discouraged about," he said. "Just keep plugging along and trusting your lines. They'll start going in. Today, I trusted my lines and they went in."

DIVOTS: This had about as much drama as the New York Yankees clinching the AL East: Mark O'Meara has won the PGA of America player of the year. The points-based award is determined by victories, money and scoring. O'Meara built an insurmountable lead by winning two majors, which carries a 50-point bonus. ... A year ago, Tommy Tolles narrowly missed getting the final automatic spot on the Ryder Cup team. This week, he is 124th on the money list and might have to return to Q-school. "I want to get this year over with," said Tolles, who shot a 71. ... Waldorf and Tom Lehman, who have lost a little hair and could stand to lose a little around the waist, wait in line just like everyone else at Blizzard Beach. "People don't recognize us in our swimsuits," Waldorf said. "You see our bodies ... they go, 'Who are those guys?' "

First Round Scores