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Tiger Woods still on top at Doral
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-03 09:35
MIAMI - Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson resumed their duel at opposite ends of
Doral on Thursday, and the outcome didn't change. Woods was still one shot
better.
In a balmy start to the Florida swing, Woods again reached the
603-yard 12th hole in two shots and ran off a string of birdies along the back
nine of the Blue Monster for an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead over Mickelson
and four others in the Ford Championship at Doral.
"This guy Tiger seems to play well every day, every week," Mickelson said.
"I'm just trying to keep pace. I'm trying to maybe have another shot at dueling
out with him on Sunday, and I'm glad that he's playing well. I've got to do my
part and stay with him."
Woods won last year in a scintillating showdown between golf's two biggest
personalities, with Woods pulling ahead on a 30-foot birdie putt at No. 17 and
Mickelson lipping out a birdie chip on the last hole.
They teed off at the same time Thursday, but on opposite nines.
They were together only on the leaderboard, although both had some catching
up to do on a day when 60 players broke 70 and 116 players were at par or
better.
"The times I looked at the board, neither one of us were up there," Woods
said. "We weren't leading. I knew 7 (under) was leading, so try to get up there
somehow."
Woods got off to a hot start on a tropical afternoon with birdies on three of
his first four holes, including a tee shot within a foot on the 222-yard fourth
hole. Mickelson made three straight birdies around the turn, and while his
gallery was about one-fourth the size of those watching Woods, they were as
passionate as ever.
There were throaty cheers when Lefty made a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 5, and
one man yelled, "Yeah! He's letting Tiger know that he's coming!"
At that point, Woods was only about 250 yards away as he walked down the 14th
fairway. He hit 9-iron into 10 feet, the start of three straight birdies that
shot him to the top of the leaderboard. His 64 was his best score in the first
round on the PGA Tour since a 63 in the 2003 Western Open, which he went on to
win by five.
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