Tiger Woods and Justin Rose in tie for Atlanta lead

TIGER Woods didn’t look too intimated by playing Rory McIlroy yesterday as he stormed into a share of the lead at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Woods kept the ball in play at East Lake and chipped in for one of his six birdies on his way to a four-under 66 that gave him a share of the lead with Britain’s Justin Rose. It was the first step towards what Woods hopes is another FedEx Cup title, and another $10 million bonus.

McIlroy, playing with Woods for the fifth time in these playoffs, saved par on the last hole for a 69.

The week began with Greg Norman saying that Woods was intimidated by McIlroy, a 
suggestion that both players found amusing. While it’s doubtful whether that inspired Woods, he played as if he wasn’t ready to let McIlroy win a third straight play-off event.

McIlroy bogeyed the first hole before picking up a birdie on the third., while Rose carded his 66 to set the clubhouse target. American Scott Piercy had reached five under par after 16 holes but ran up a double-bogey five on the 18th to return an opening 67.

Woods completed the front nine in two under par, picking up shots on the second and third and recovering from a bogey on the fourth with a birdie on the par-5 ninth, where McIlroy failed to get up and down for birdie from just off the green.

Woods, the world No 2 birdied the 12th before a bogey five at the 14th cancelled it out. However, back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16 saw him finish strongly. McIlroy also bogeyed the 14th and birdied the 15th as he closed just three shots off the lead.

The Tour Championship is the last leg of the FedEx Cup play-offs and McIlroy and Woods are paired together again because they are first and second in the points standings.