KEY POINTS:
FLORIDA - Spaniard Sergio Garcia reeled off four birdies in six holes on his way to an early two-stroke lead in the Players Championship first round on Thursday.
Seeking his first PGA Tour title in three years, Garcia fired a sparkling six-under-par 66 at the Tournament Players Club
at Sawgrass to take control of the lucrative event widely regarded as the unofficial fifth major.
The 28-year-old, relieved to regain confidence in his putting, piled up seven birdies and a lone bogey to finish two ahead of Americans Kenny Perry and Paul Goydos.
Twice champion Steve Elkington of Australia opened with a 69 to lie three strokes off the pace, level with Britain's Ian Poulter and American Heath Slocum.
Garcia, runner-up at Sawgrass last year, launched his sizzling birdie run at the par-five 11th and holed a monster putt from 40 feet before reaching the turn in four-under 32.
He picked up further shots at the second and fifth before offsetting a three-putt bogey at the eighth with another birdie at the par-five ninth, his final hole.
"The greens were very nice, very quick but rolling very, very true," a smiling Garcia told reporters after totalling 29 putts. "If you managed to put some good rolls in there, you were going to make some putts.
"This course is one of my favorites and, with the recent changes, it's easily in the best shape we play all year. It's a fun course to go out there and try to shoot a good score."
The Spaniard, whose last PGA Tour victory came at the 2005 Booz Allen Classic, said he had benefited from teeing off in the relative calm of the morning.
"I wouldn't say it was easy but it was definitely not as tough," he added. "The greens were a little more receptive than they're going to be in the afternoon with this breeze and as they firm up."
Argentina's Angel Cabrera, winner of last year's U.S. Open, had shared the lead with Garcia at five under with six holes remaining before bogeying the 14th and double-bogeying the last for a 70.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson, who also opened with a 70, was delighted to rebound from consecutive bogeys around the turn.
"The golf course is not easy by any means and to go low out here is very difficult," the American world number two said after carding five birdies and three bogeys.
"I certainly let some shots slide in the middle of the round but I was proud of the way I came back and played solidly from there on in."
Australian Adam Scott, the 2004 champion, and South African world number four Ernie Els were among the late starters.
