Tiger Woods shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 to be one stroke ahead of playing partner and defending champ Padraig Harrington atop the leader board at the PGA Championship on Thursday.
"There are times I've put it together and had some pretty good margins of victory," Woods said. "I just feel that, overall, my game over the years has gotten better. It's become more consistent. I usually don't make too many mistakes."
He didn't on this day, breaking
"It's always nice to get off quick, but the first round -- you can play yourself out of a tournament but you certainly cannot win it on the first day," said Woods, who has four Wanamaker Trophys among his 14 major titles.
"You don't have to be eight ahead after the first round, that's not it. You've got to just keep plugging along."
Harrington, who also won the 2007 and '08 British Opens, actually shared the lead with Woods after three birdies in a five-hole span on their back nine. But he settled for par on long No. 7 after his putt from the fringe rolled about two inches past while Woods two-putted from 30 feet for a birdie.
Robert Allenby, whose second-place finish at Bridgestone last weekend was overshadowed by the duel between Woods and Harrington, was at 3 under with Hunter Mahan, Mathew Goggin, Alvaro Quiros and David Toms. Vijay Singh joined them after nearly holing his second shot on the 16th. The ball landed above the hole and spun back toward the cup, stopping at the rim and leaving him an easy tap-in for birdie.
Singh, a two-time winner at the U.S. PGA, hasn't made the cut at the year's final major since 2005, when he tied for 10th.
Phil Mickelson, who missed the British Open to tend to wife Amy, who has breast cancer, was having an up-and-down afternoon. He was at 3 over after going bogey-double bogey on Nos. 9 and 10, but got one of the strokes back with a birdie on 11.
"The first day of a major, it's always good to keep yourself in there. I think I probably did a little bit more than that," Harrington said.
Having an early lead could be key if the weather turns foul. It was hot, humid and breezy on Thursday, but strong winds are expected on Friday. There's a possibility of rain during the weekend.
"Obviously, he's the best in the world so we expect him to win," Allenby said, referring to Woods. "But you know what? It's three more days to go. And a lot can happen."
Especially in this, one of the wackier years for golf. Kenny Perry had the Masters won, then lost it. The U.S. Open did its best imitation of a water park the first two days. Ol' Tom Watson nearly turned back the clock at the British Open.
Not even Woods has been immune.
The world's No. 1 player has won at least one major in each of the last four years, but he's running out of time this year to keep that streak going. He made a charge Sunday at the Masters, but couldn't hang on. He wasn't much of a factor at the U.S. Open, catching a bad break when his side of the draw was deluged. Then he missed the cut at the British.
Woods, however, won the last two weekends at the Buick Open and Bridgestone and now clearly looks to be back on his game.
"I had that nice rest there after the British Open, those two days," he said, drawing laughter.
Much has been made of the supersized Hazeltine, at 7,674 yards the longest course in major championship history. That's 300 yards longer than it was the last time the U.S. PGA was here, just seven years ago. Most of the new length comes on the par 5s -- three are 600 yards or longer. The thinking is that No. 7, at "only" 572 yards, will be the lone par 5 that players can still reach in two.
For Woods, though, the holes may as well have bull's-eyes on them. On 15 -- at 642 yards, the longest hole on the course -- he actually knocked his second shot over the green and into a bunker.
He also had a birdie on 12, a 518-yard par 4.
"It's long on the scorecard, but we didn't play it that long," Woods said.
