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Garcia fires a 65 to share the lead at The Barclays

Spain’s Sergio Garcia fired a six-under 65 on Thursday to share the lead after the first round of The Barclays, the first event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs.

Americans Paul Goydos and Steve Marino joined the world No. 7 atop the board, while Charley Hoffman bogeyed his final hole to fall a shot behind.

Hoffman shared fourth place on 66 with Webb Simpson, Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson and Heath Slocum.

World No. 1 Tiger Woods notched a one-under 70 that left him tied for 27th spot.

He teed off on 10 and nabbed a birdie at 13. He picked up another stroke at the second, but dropped a shot at seven.

Garcia also started on 10, opening with three pars before notching three birdies in four holes from the 13th.

Another birdie on 18 saw him make the turn four-under and he picked up another shot at the third, where he landed his approach within five feet of the pin.

He drained a four-footer for birdie on seven, followed by another birdie at the eighth to seize the lead at seven-under.

A bogey at his last, where he was in the right rough and then short of the green, cost him the outright lead.

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, England’s Ian Poulter and David Toms all posted 67s.

Australians Robert Allenby and Rod Pampling and last week’s winner Ryan Moore were among a group of players tied on 68.

Defending champion Vijay Singh of Fiji struggled to a four-over 75 that included two double-bogeys.



■JOHNNIE WALKER

AFP, GLENEAGLES, SCOTLAND

Former Open champion Paul Lawrie leads the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles after the opening day.

Lawrie, 97th on the money list and needing to be in the top 115 in November to save his card, scored a five-under 67 as the Scot began his latest bid for a first victory since the 2002 Wales Open.

The 40-year-old goes into the second round one ahead of a group that includes fellow Scot Steven O’Hara and defending champion Gregory Havret.

It was a bad day, though, for both Colin Montgomerie and Thomas Bjorn.Montgomerie lost two balls as he slumped to a 76 — he could now miss a fourth successive cut for the first time in his European Tour career — while Bjorn crashed to an 82.

Lawrie did not drop a stroke all day and the highlight was a 40-foot putt for an eagle on the ninth.

“I’m hitting more balls and swinging in my room to get the feeling and it feels fantastic,” Lawrie said.
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