Golf: Confident Waite charges into lead

ORLANDO - Grant Waite continues to capitalise on last season's showdown with Tiger Woods after finishing with a share of the lead on the opening day of the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando.

The New Zealander carded a six-under 66 to join Americans Steve Pate, Mark Calcavecchia, Phil Mickelson and Dennis Paulson at the front of the field in the $US3.5 million ($8.5 million) golf event.

American Jeff Sluman and twice US Open champion Lee Janzen were next best at five under.

Waite's mistake-free 66 was his equal second best from 17 rounds on this year's US Tour, despite a 17th-hole tee shot that hit a spectator on the head.

"I have been working on the scoring aspect of the game plus the physical aspect, as far as hitting different shots, and it's all coming together," Waite said.

But the Palmerston North-born player, who has made the cut in three of five events this season, indicated that it was his pair of second-place finishes in Canada last September - particularly a final-round, head-to-head struggle with Woods - that continued to inspire him.

Waite led heading to the third round in the Air Canada Championship, but was eventually second to South African Rory Sabbatini.

He then travelled to Ontario where he and Woods led the Canadian Open heading into the final day before Woods won the title by one stroke with a last-round 65.

"The one thing I learned from that whole experience in Canada was that if I play well, I can play with anybody, because Tiger is the best in the game, no question," Waite said.

"Tiger had to play better to beat me and while I walked away disappointed that I didn't win, I was encouraged by the fact that I know I can take on the best player in the world and make him have to play as well as he can to beat me.

"So, that's what I take from those experiences. It's comforting, to say the least, to know that if I do the right things, I'm going to play well, and I'm going to have a chance to win the tournament, no matter who is in the field."

Meanwhile, Woods recorded a crippling triple bogey just two holes from the finish of his round of 71 in the Bay Hill event.

"I played like a dog," was his only comment.

Michael Campbell, contesting his first tournament in the US this year, also came unstuck at the 17th, taking a double-bogey in a round of 73.

New Zealand's top golfer was two under early on the back nine but was let down by his putter.

"I missed a number of putts from about two or three feet so that was disappointing," he said.

"Then at 17, I pushed a six iron off the tee just slightly and found the water.

"It would have been nice to finish at two or three under, but I'm only seven shots behind."

Frank Nobilo, the third New Zealander in the field, had moved to two-under through 16 holes before finishing with two bogeys for an even-par round of 72.

But the Orlando-based Kiwi was unlucky at the last hole.

His second shot carried the water guarding the green, but his ball then spun back about three metres off the green and then on to rocks and into the hazard.

- NZPA