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Tiger Woods still on top at Doral
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-03 09:35
It was sizzling stuff, even though it was only Thursday.
There are still three days left, and loads of other players capable of
denying fans an encore.
Camilo Villegas, one of several promising rookies who hit the ball a mile,
birdied four straight holes until settling for a two-putt par from about 8 feet
on the 18th. That put him at 65, along with former PGA champion Rich Beem, Ryan
Palmer and Mark Wilson, one of five players who got into this elite field with a
top-10 finish in Tucson last week.
At times, it seemed like a replay from last year.
Woods had 282 yards to the hole on the monster 12th hole, and hammered a
3-wood that floated enough in the air to clear the bunker and reach the green.
This time, he had to settle for a two-putt birdie, bouncing on his feet as the
ball trickled to a stop inches from the front of the cup.
Then there was Mickelson, facing a 30-foot birdie chip after having to lay up
on the par-5 eighth. The ball ran hot toward the hole, spun out of the cup and
Lefty threw his head back in disbelief.
The good news for Mickelson? It's only Thursday.
And with a mild breeze in the afternoon and soft conditions, no one could
afford to take their foot off the gas if they wanted to keep their positions.
"If you shoot even par, you're going to get run over here," Woods said.
Steve Elkington has been playing Doral every year since 1988, and after a 67,
he kept his optimism in check.
"This course always gives up low scores early in the week," he said. "It's
nothing to get too excited about."
But there was plenty of buzz with Woods and Mickelson.
Woods, coming off a third-round loss in the Match Play Championship, played
one of his most thorough rounds of his short year by keeping the ball in play,
hitting solid irons and making putts on the smooth greens of Doral. He missed
only three fairways, four greens and took 26 putts.
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