Sep 2, 2006 4 min read

NORTON, Mass. (AP) – Tiger Woods bent over and grabbed his knees, thinking his 3-wood that clipped the top branch of an oak tree had trickled down from the green and into a hazard. Once he realized it was in a bunker, it changed his outlook and put him in a spot that is becoming routine.

Woods got up-and-down from 90 feet for a birdie on the par-5 18th hole Friday, giving him a 5-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship. It was the 10th time in his last 16 rounds he has been atop the leaderboard.

Aaron Baddeley, playing in the same group as Woods, stayed with him most of the day until having to lay up on the 18th. He made par for a 67, joining Bob May, Justin Rose, Joe Ogilvie and Australian rookie Nathan Green.

Woods is trying to win for the fifth straight time on the PGA Tour, a streak that began with his victory in the British Open. Taking the lead from the start is an ominous sign, although it doesn’t mean much on the TPC of Boston.

A year ago, Woods barely broke a sweat in opening with a 65, then failed to break par the rest of the week and tied for 40th. He was tied for the lead after one round two years ago in the Deutsche Bank, and wound up finishing three shots behind Vijay Singh to lose his No. 1 ranking for the first time in five years.

Then again, he hasn’t been on a roll like this since his record-breaking 2000 season.

“I feel in control of my golf ball,” Woods said. “I’ve still got some things to work on. It could be better.”

LPGA

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Cristie Kerr grabbed a share of the lead, and Annika Sorenstam stayed in contention at the State Farm Classic on Friday.

Kerr shot an 8-under par 64 and was tied with Maria Hjorth at 12 under, one stroke ahead of Il Mi Chung, who had a 66, after the second round at The Rail Golf Club.

Lorena Ochoa (70) was five shots off the lead, with Sorenstam (68) at 6 under.

Se Ri Pak, bothered lately by a neck injury, was 7-over for the tournament when she withdrew after nine holes.

Kerr, seeking her third victory this year, teed off on the 10th hole with Sorenstam and Ochoa. She was consistently in the fairway and birdied eight holes. That gave her 12 for the tournament, with no bogeys.

After seeing several birdie putts lip out or skid just past the hole in the first round, Kerr knocked in a 12-footer on the par-4 10th. She held her arms out and soaked in the cheers when she buried a 40-footer on the par-3 16th to go to 8-under. She also birdied the par-5 12th after chipping within two feet and the 14th, sinking a 15-foot putt.

On her back nine, Kerr birdied the third, fourth, sixth and seventh holes.

Champions Tour

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – D.A. Weibring shot an 8-under par 64 and held a two-stroke lead Friday over Tom Purtzer and Jay Haas after the opening round of the Wal-Mart First Tee Open.

Weibring, whose best finish this season was a third-place in the MasterCard Championship, the opening tournament on the Champions Tour, had six birdies and an eagle at the Del Monte Golf Course.

“I’ve been playing well lately,” Weibring said. “It was a bonus to birdie the two par 3s on the front nine, and I played a little more conservatively off the tee than usual.”

Weibring completed his bogey-free round with a 20-foot birdie putt, the longest of his round, on the 392-yard 18th. He completed the front nine with an eagle 3 after he hit his 3-wood second shot within three feet.

Purtzer, who has four top-10 finishes this season but is also winless, carded his 66 at Del Monte. Haas, second on the money list to Loren Roberts and vying for his fourth title of the season, carded a 66, the low round at Pebble Beach Golf Links.