Golf: Windswept course tests Woods and Els

ORLANDO - In an event highlighted by the first strokeplay tournament of the season featuring the sport's top two players, Tiger Woods yesterday had a better opening round than Ernie Els to be just one shot off the lead at the Bay Hill Invitational.

A windswept course presented a challenge for the world's top golfers as six players tied for the lead at the $US5 million ($9.05 million) event.

Stewart Cink, Jonathan Kaye, J.L. Lewis, Jeff Maggert, Australia's Aaron Baddeley and Trevor Immelman, of South Africa, are all bunched at the top of the leaderboard after shooting three-under-par 69s.

Lurking a shot back on 70 is a six-man group including the three-time defending champion Woods, along with Ben Crane, Britain's Nick Faldo, Brad Faxon, Marco Dawson and 1990 winner Robert Gamez.

South Africa's world No 2 Els was in contention at one-under par until he triple-bogeyed the par-three 14th hole and finished on 74.

"Even par or better is a good score today, with the way the course is playing," Woods said.

"If you drive the ball in the rough, you're going to pay the price [because] you can't hold the ball on the greens. On top of that, it's hard to gauge the strength of the wind. If this wind stays up, it could be one of the tougher golf courses we'll face, except for the majors."

Els agreed.

"It was probably the toughest course I've played all year," he said, after finishing the round tied for 42nd.

"The wind blew pretty hard and the greens are unbelievable. They are really firm and it was a great test of golf."

Woods' security staff were put on alert at the 18th hole when a nine-year-old girl ducked under the gallery rope and ran over to present the superstar with a small United States flag.

Luckily, he remembered her from past years and gave her a kiss and a hug.

"She's just a little sweetheart. She usually gives me flowers," Woods said.

With winds that were consistently strong, Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill's Club played as difficult as it ever has in a first round in the 25-year history of this event.

Only in 1993 did the first-round leaders have as difficult a time, when three players - Michael Allen, John Cook and Rick Fehr - finished tied for the lead at 69.

Of the six leaders in this year's tournament, only Baddeley and Kaye got below three-under during their rounds.

Both were on five-under at one point, but neither could sustain the lead and eventually fell back.

* Australian Karrie Webb rediscovered her touch on the greens and returned to a familiar place on a leaderboard after a first round six-under-par 66 in the Safeway Ping golf tournament at Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix yesterday.

With seven birdies, Webb, who has had a relatively sluggish start to the year, finished alone in second place, a stroke behind leader Se Ri Pak, of South Korea.

Sweden's world No 1 Annika Sorenstam opened her season with a 67.

Australia's Rachel Teske, the defending champion, opened with a 69, but it would have been so much better if she hadn't dropped shots at the final two holes.

- AGENCIES