Woods left to fume as Stricker sets the early pace

A staggering 14 strokes separated the pair and that, almost unbelievably, after Woods had birdied three of his first five holes to share the lead in the US PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.

Woods, who has not scored worse in a first round of any tournament since a 79 in the 1996 Australian Open, went in two lakes and an amazing 12 bunkers as his game fell apart.

“I’m not down, I’m really angry,” he said after his seven-over-par 77. “There are a lot of words I could use beyond that.”

What made him furious was that over the opening stretch he had focused on swing thoughts, but had then abandoned that to “let it go” and could not regroup.

There were only a handful of players below him at the final major of the season – the one he has won four times and which he was so looking forward to after missing the US Open and The Open through injury.

Stricker’s seven birdies, in stark contrast, included the 15th and 18th, two of the three that Woods double-bogeyed.

He was already seven under after 14 holes, but parred his way in from there, missing a 12-foot chance on the 426-yard ninth.

Instead of becoming the first to shoot 62 in majors, therefore, he joined a list of 22 other players to have 63. Greg Norman and Vijay Singh have done it twice.

Stricker led by two from Jerry Kelly, who still had two holes to play and on the putt to break the record the 44-year-old, yet to win a major, said: “Sometimes when you know it’s for something extra special you dig a little deeper, but I can’t complain.

“Just to hit it on the fairways was my goal. It’s a very difficult course from the bunkers and rough.”

The leading European at that stage was the youngest of them all – 18-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero marked his debut in the event with a 68.

Things had begun so well for Woods. He holed from 14 feet on the 10th, got up and down from a bunker at the long 12th and then struck a superb approach to four feet two holes later.

But the story started to change on the 15th, a controversial 260-yard par three with water right. Woods found the lake, took five like Luke Donald had just ahead of him and then dropped another shot at the next after going from bunker to rough and then into more sand.

He was in two more bunkers on the 18th for a double bogey six, another on the first for bogey, two more at the next for bogey and another on the short fourth for a further dropped shot.

A birdie on the long fifth appearance to have stopped the bleeding, but not so. He went from sand into water at the 425-yard sixth, ran up a six and finished with a further bogey.

“I figured I could let it go and play through instinct and feel, but screwed up the whole round,” he said.

“I’m not at that point yet. I started fighting it and couldn’t get it back.

“It’s very frustrating.”

Playing partner Padraig Harrington was himself struggling, but came in with a 73 at three over.

The 2008 champion parted company with coach Bob Torrance two weeks ago to try to arrest a slide down the world rankings that has already taken him from third to 69th.

He also birdied the long 12th, but then came bogeys on the 13th, 15th, 18th and first as his problems became apparent once again.

At least they were doing better than Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa, who four days after finishing fourth in Akron crumbed to a 15-over round of 85.

That contained a triple bogey six on the 15th and five double bogeys.

World No 1 Donald, despite his double bogey at the 15th, handed in a level par 70, while fellow Englishman Brian Davis shot 69.

Phil Mickelson had a 71, recovering well from the shock of three-putting from only three feet on his opening green, but was fiercely critical afterwards about the design of courses that make it so difficult for amateurs.

Ross Fisher dropped from four-under to one over on his return to action after missing last week’s event as a result of his baby son Harry being taken into hospital during the Irish Open.

Paul Casey had a 72, Martin Laird 73 like Harrington, Ian Poulter 74 and Welshman Jamie Donaldson 77 in his first major appearance in America.

Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood Malton’s Irish Open winner Simon Dyson and Open champion Darren Clarke were all among the later starters.

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