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Enlarge PhotoTiger Woods of the U.S. tips his cap after making par on the 14th hole... Tiger Woods buried memories of his nightmare finish at last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with a perfect start at the 92nd U.S. PGA Championship Thursday.The American world number one, who arrived at Whistling Straits after producing the worst PGA Tour performance of his career, birdied three of the first four holes of the opening round to move into a tie for the early lead.
In pursuit of his first major victory since the 2008 U.S. Open, Woods rolled in putts from 10 feet at the 10th and the 11th, after teeing off on the back nine, before sinking a 15-footer at the 13th to get to three under par.
That put the four-times PGA champion level with Australian Stuart Appleby, who had completed eight holes, and Germany's Martin Kaymer, after five.
Australians Jason Day and Mark Leishman and American left-hander Bubba Watson were among a group of six players bunched at two under.
On a breezy, sun-splashed day at Whistling Straits where fog delayed the start by more than three hours, Woods launched his bid for a first win of the season in confident style.
After being warmly greeted by the fans packed around the 10th tee, he struck a three-wood to the left side of the fairway before hitting a wedge approach to 10 feet and coolly sinking the putt for a birdie three.
BOOMING DRIVE
A booming drive at the par-five 11th was followed by an iron second shot which ended up 40 yards left of the pin just off the green.
Woods, who has worked hard this week to keep his head still on his down-swing, two-putted from there for another birdie before raising his right hand to acknowledge resounding cheers from the crowd.
He did well to save par at the 143-yard 12th, after getting up and down from left of the green, before hitting a superb approach to 15 feet at the 13th and rolling in the left-to-right putt to get to three under.
Watched by huge galleries on the par-72 Straits Course, Woods appeared to have put behind him his struggles of last week at Firestone Country Club where he finished joint second-last in the 80-strong field with an 18-over total.
Winless in eight appearances on the 2010 PGA Tour after his double life was exposed at the end of last year amid revelations of serial philandering, the American looked much more like his former dominant self.
"I've done some good work the last two days ... and hopefully I'll be ready come Thursday," Woods told a news conference earlier this week at a rain-softened Whistling Straits.
(Editing by Steve Ginsburg;
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