ESPN.com - Golf Online - PGA Championship 2000 - Birdie stretch takes Woods to lead

By Peter Lawrence-Riddell
ESPN Golf Online
Thursday, August 17

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- They came to the PGA Championship to see Tiger Woods, and he didn't disappoint the thousands following him Thursday at Valhalla Golf Club.

Woods' partners

The dream threesome turned very quickly into the dream twosome. From the first tee, it was apparent the fans came to see Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Vijay Singh could have been any player on the tour as far as most of the spectators were concerned.

The poor play of the 1998 PGA champion certainly contributed to that -- Singh shot a 77 and never got anything going after a birdie on the first. Neither did Nicklaus, who also shot 77.

But right from the first tee, the applause was for Nicklaus and Woods. And Nicklaus, playing his final PGA Championship, received the loudest ovations at every tee and green.

Not that Woods minded.

"I think today was a great day for me. Everybody was yelling out 'Jack,' not me. So I Just kind of walked around," said Woods.

Despite missing several birdie putts on the back nine, Woods finished the day 6-under par and tied for the lead.

"Today was a good day," Woods said.

Woods opened with solid par on the 446-yard first, then began his assault of Valhalla's par-5s at No. 2. His drive was left and in the rough, leaving him with an awkward second shot to the green. It came up short and in the bunker, but he easily got up and down for birdie.

After routine pars on the third and fourth holes, Woods posted his only bogey at No. 5 -- a long 465-yard par-4 that doglegs to the right. Woods tried to cut the corner off the tee, ending up in the rough on the right side. His approach came up short, landing in a greenside bunker. He blasted out about 25 feet past the hole, then nearly holed his par putt. The ball burned the right edge and he settled for bogey.

When Woods made par at No. 6, he remained even. He was playing solid golf, but it wasn't the electric start fans came to see. But that was about to change.

The seventh was a turning point. Pulling his driver out of the bag for one of only five times all day, Woods bombed his drive to the left of the two parallel fairways. His drive came to rest less than a foot from the end of the fairway.

From there, he hit a long iron to the green, nearly made a sizable eagle putt and tapped in for birdie. Woods had a smile of disbelief on his face -- but it was his first smile since the first hole, when he posed for a picture with Jack Nicklaus and Vijay Singh on the tee, and then they walked down the fairway together.

The seventh hole seemed to relax Woods. And when he birdied the next three holes, taking control of the course and possibly of the tournament, the murmur from the crowd announced that Woods was on a roll.

"I drove the ball in the fairway, which enabled me to place my iron shots at the right location on the greens, and from there, I made a few putts and was able to make a little string there from 7 to 10," he said.

After paring the par-3 11th, Woods stepped up to the tee on the 467-yard par-4 12th, the most difficult hole in the 1996 championship at Valhalla. He ripped a 3-wood straight down the middle, bending over immediately to pick up his tee.

He followed with an approach shot that came to rest 15 feet behind the hole and sunk the putt for a birdie.

The stretch from Nos. 13 to 16 may have Woods tossing in his sleep. He had makable birdie putts on all four holes -- including about a 6-footer on the 13th -- and failed to convert any of them.

However, Woods made up for the missed putts with a tremendous par-saving putt on the par-4 17th. Short of the green in two, his third shot ran about 12 feet by the hole.

Woods needed to sink the putt to stay 5-under and have a realistic chance on the 18th to tie Scott Dunlap for the lead. The ball looked good off the blade of his putter, and Woods began his patented walk toward the hole when the ball was halfway there. As it fell, he extended his putter in the air with both hands.

Woods birdied the first three par-5s on Thursday, and the 18th was no different.

In the sand short of the green in two, he nearly holed his bunker shot for an eagle, just lipping it out and settling for a 3-footer for birdie and an opening-round 66.

"He shot the easiest 66 today," said Nicklaus, "and he missed -- (he) made some putts -- but he missed half a dozen opportunities it looked like that were in the hole."