Woods A Shot Back Of 3 Players

AKRON, Ohio (AP) _ Thirteen players were more than happy to break par in the first round of the Bridgestone Invitational. The rest of the field was relieved there will be no cut. <br/><br/>Hunter Mahan,

Friday, August 3rd 2007, 8:06 am

By: News On 6

AKRON, Ohio (AP) _ Thirteen players were more than happy to break par in the first round of the Bridgestone Invitational. The rest of the field was relieved there will be no cut.

Hunter Mahan, Paul Casey and Rory Sabbatini each shot a 3-under 67 to share the lead on a hot and humid Thursday, with four-time winner Tiger Woods on the prowl just a shot back.

Almost every one of the 83 players raved about how hard, how fast and how difficult Firestone Country Club was. Those hoping to use the tournament as a tuneup for next week's PGA Championship at Southern Hills are getting a test of major proportions.

``The course is much more difficult than any year I've been here,'' said 2003 Bridgestone winner Darren Clarke, who shot a 70. ``The rough is thicker than the year I won.''

After shooting a 68, Stuart Appleby warned that red numbers may be hard to come by.

``The greens are as quick as I've ever seen them,'' he said. ``If we get the course firmer and the greens a bit firmer, I think even par will be a good score.''

If that sounds like the definition of a major championship, then Casey said Firestone is the ideal place to prepare for the PGA.

``I've read Monty (Colin Montgomerie) saying, 'If you're preparing for Wimbledon, you wouldn't play on clay the week before,''' Casey said. ``I think he's right and I think this has got to be a good comparison to Southern Hills.''

The 67 by Mahan, Casey and Sabbatini was the highest to lead after the opening round since the tournament became a World Golf Championship event in 1999. Likewise, the scoring average of 72.181 is the highest in the opening round over that same period.

With hot, humid conditions expected the next three days with only a small chance of rain, this might be just the beginning of the players' trials and tribulations.

``The course is certainly going to get tougher,'' said Sabbatini, who played his first nine holes in 2-over and then birdied six of his last nine holes. ``The rough is insane out there. It's like you're hitting the ball out of Velcro. ... I'll tell you what, if we don't get any rain by Sunday, I don't see anybody able to really get the ball close to any holes unless they're chipping.''

Mahan has a win at the Travelers Championship and three top-8 finishes in his last four starts. Playing the course in competition for the first time, he talked about his 67 as if he were cramming for a test _ which, in a way, he was.

``I've been trying to take as many notes as I can on the greens and figure out where the really fast putts are,'' he said. ``They are fast but they're fair. But you've got to pay attention. If you lose a little bit of focus you can definitely knock it by quite a bit.''

Woods won the Bridgestone a year ago with a 10-under 270, beating Stewart Cink in a four-hole playoff.

The harder the course gets, the more Woods likes it.

Asked if he preferred the current conditions, Woods said, ``Always hard and fast _ always _ because it puts a premium on shaping shots to keep the ball in the fairway. Obviously, coming into the greens, it's about placement. You can't just go up there and fire at it and have it plug next to the flag. You've got to understand how to place your golf ball because if you don't you're going to pay a price for missing it in the wrong spot.''

Woods was joined at 68 by Mark Calcavecchia, Appleby, Boo Weekley, Lee Westwood and Arron Oberholser. Kenny Perry, Justin Rose, Chris DiMarco and Paul Goydos were another shot back at 69, with Ernie Els and Clarke among the seven players at even-par 70.

Jim Furyk, who won his second consecutive Canadian Open title last week to move up to No. 2 in the world behind Woods, was forced to withdraw with back pain.

Two weeks after winning the British Open in a playoff with Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington finished a shot back of Garcia with a 72.

``I didn't do myself too much harm,'' Harrington said. ``I need to get back into things. I was a long, long way away from what I was in the last round of the Open in terms of my focus. I've got to build back up.

``It's a cruel game. It doesn't last.''