Watson and Molinari set pace, Woods three back

KOHLER, Wisconsin, (Reuters) – Bubba Watson charged  into a tie for the early lead in the U.S. PGA Championship  first round yesterday as fellow American Tiger Woods lost  ground after making a red-hot start.

On a rain-softened Whistling Straits layout demanding  precision off the tee, left-hander Watson birdied three of his  last seven holes for a four-under-par 68 to set the pace with  Italian Francesco Molinari.

“It was a great day,” the long-hitting Watson told  reporters after a round featuring six birdies and two bogeys.  “My mental focus was really good and I just putted really well.  I kept it going by making some putts.”

American Ryan Moore briefly got to five under but bogeyed  two of his last three holes for a 69 to finish level with  Australian Jason Day in the year’s final major.

Former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk, Britain’s Martin Laird  and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee were among a group of seven  bunched on 70.

World number one Woods, who arrived at Whistling Straits  after producing the worst PGA Tour performance of his career  last week, briefly moved into an early tie for the lead at  three under on the way to a 71.

He birdied three of his first four holes after teeing off  at the 10th to electrify the massive galleries watching his  every move but paid the penalty for a couple of poor drives  before signing off with a birdie at the ninth.

“I felt like I had control of the ball for most of the  day,” Woods said after erasing memories of his nightmare finish  at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday when he closed  with an ugly 77.

“It would have been very disappointing and frustrating to  end up at even par as well as I played today. I struggled last  week, had to put in some work and felt good today.”

On a breezy, sun-splashed day on the Straits Course 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.

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 a left-to-right  putt to get to three under.

Woods dropped his first shot of the day at the par-four  15th, after missing the fairway off the tee, before squandering  a six-foot birdie putt at the par-five 16th.

Out in two-under 34, the 14-times major winner bogeyed the  par-five second after driving into a fairway bunker, finding  the right rough with his second and a greenside bunker with his  third.

He also bogeyed the par-three seventh after missing the  green to the left but got back to under par when he knocked in  a seven-footer at the ninth.

Because of the fog delay earlier in the day, the opening  round was certain to spill over into Friday with 2005 champion  Phil Mickelson among those likely to be affected.