Top-ranked Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh shared the first-round lead at the NEC Invitational with 29-year-old Swede Henrik Stenson on Thursday, each shooting a 4-under-par 66 to sit atop the leaderboard by a stroke.
Woods twice escaped trouble from the trees but never came close to making bogey on a Firestone course that offered no letup for those coming off the US PGA Championship. He made a 15-foot birdie on his final hole for a 4-under 66, and later was joined by Singh and Henrik Stenson of Sweden.
Singh had a chance to take the outright lead until missing a 6-foot birdie putt on his 17th hole. He had to scramble from the rough to save par on the 484-yard ninth hole for a share of the lead.
Davis Love III carried his good play from Baltusrol into the first round and was among those at 67, while PGA champion Phil Mickelson was all smiles on his way to a 69.
"I didn't hit it great today, but I left myself with some easier up-and-downs when I did miss, so it wasn't so bad," said Woods, who has never finished lower than fifth in seven appearances at Firestone.
Defending champion Vaughn Taylor birdied six of his last eight holes for an 8-under par 64 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson and Todd Fischer in a windy first round of the Reno-Tahoe Open.
Guy Boros was another stroke back at 6-under 66, followed by Australia's Aaron Baddeley, Jesper Parnevik of Sweden and Duffy Waldorf at 67 on the 7,472-yard course at Montreux Golf and Country Club.
Former British Open champion Todd Hamilton and Craig Barlow shot 68s. Among those at 69 were former British Open champ Ben Curtis, Joe Ogilvie, Jonathan Kaye and Paul Azinger, who splits his time in the broadcast booth, Japan's Hidemichi Tanaka and Brenden Pappas of South Africa.
David Duval, another former British Open champ, shot a 10-over 82.
Teenager Paula Creamer already has won twice on the US LPGA Tour. She is all but assured rookie of the year honors. She has surpassed US$1 million in earnings. She still has the Solheim Cup to conquer.
"It would just be so amazing to wear red, white and blue and play for my country," said Creamer, better known for wearing pink.
With Annika Sorenstam absent, Creamer has the spotlight at the LPGA's Safeway Classic, which gets underway today at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.
It is one of six full-field events remaining on the American LPGA schedule and one of two tournaments before US Solheim Cup team is named.
The official word will come Aug. 28 after the Wendy's Championship in Dublin, Ohio. Cristie Kerr is leading in Solheim Cup points, followed by veterans Meg Mallon and Juli Inkster. Creamer ranks eighth.
The top 10 players qualify for the team, and captain Nancy Lopez gets two additional choices.
Creamer, who turned 19 earlier this month, won last week in the NEC Karuizawa, making her first appearance in a Japanese LPGA event after winning twice on the US LPGA Tour this year.
She became the second-youngest first-time winner in tour history -- and the youngest winner of a full event -- when she captured the Sybase Classic by one stroke in May. She also won the Evian Masters in July.
Despite graduating from high school only three months ago, Creamer is second on the money list behind Sorenstam. Creamer is the youngest player in LPGA Tour to earn US$1 million, and no one has done it in less time on tour.
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