Choi blows hot but Woods and Stricker loom large

KJ CHOI birdied his opening five holes then held on in 30mph gusts for a six-under 66 that gave him a three-shot lead over Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker after the first round of the Chevron World Challenge.

Choi, Woods and Stricker were the only players to break 70 in the 18-man field in the final official event in America this year. “Anything under par is a good day today with the wind up,” said Woods, a four-time winner of this event and the tournament host. “If the wind stayed down, you’re going to have to shoot probably 68 or below for it to be a good score.”

Five of the six players who broke par – Jim Furyk, Nick Watney and Rickie Fowler were at 71 – had most recently played at blustery Royal Melbourne in the Presidents Cup.

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Choi figures he had an even greater advantage. He lives in Dallas. “I was used to playing in the windy conditions, not only playing in Melbourne, but also living in Dallas, where there’s 20- to 30-mile wind every other day,” Choi said. “I’m used to practising in those conditions. I’ve become very comfortable in those windy conditions.” Jason Day was among the leaders until the wind gobbled up his approach on the par-5 16th, leading to a double bogey. Then he hit into the trees on the par-3 17th and injured his right thumb trying to play out of the mess. He made another double bogey, and then finished with a bogey for a 74.

Matt Kuchar, coming off a World Cup win with Gary Woodland in China, was four under until he made triple bogey on the 16th, bogeyed the 17th and had to settle for a 72.

Woods looked as good as he did in Australia, making his fourth birdie with a 3-iron to an elevated green on the par-5 fifth that covered the flag in the foothills of Sherwood Country Club. He made a bogey on the 16th after popping up a tee shot and running into trouble with his attempt to lay up. Earlier on at the ninth hole, he had a nasty lie on the side of a hill with a large branch in his way, and he moved the ball only about ten yards. But those were the rare mistakes.

“It looks like he’s getting a lot of confidence back again,” Stricker said.

“It looks like the Tiger of old, really, and it’s great to see. We need him out there playing, and playing well.”

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