Tiger Woods couldn't make a putt. Justin Rose didn't have to.
Rose made five birdies from inside 1m, then capped off his first round with a 4.5m eagle from the fringe for an 8-under 63 on Friday and a two-stroke lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Vijay Singh and Cliff Kresge each had a 65 on the TPC of Boston. The best scoring came from early starters, as strong breezes kept anyone from getting close to Rose. The PGA Tour returned to the Boston area for the first time in five years, bringing out some 25,000 spectators who were reminded how easy the game can look when the putts don't have to travel far.
"A fantastic start," Rose said, speaking more to his own round than the tournament.
He hit a sand wedge into 45cm on his opening hole, then added two more birdies with an 8-iron into 60cm on No. 4 and another 8-iron into almost 1m on No. 5. Rose blasted out of a greenside bunker to 45cm for another birdie on the par-5 seventh.
"I really hadn't made a putt until the eighth, where I knocked in a 20-footer," Rose said. "And suddenly, I was 5 under."
The 23-year-old Englishman finished as good as he started.
He hit his approach into less than 1m on the 17th to catch Singh and Kresge, then blew past them with a 4-iron from 231 yards that easily cleared the marsh.
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