Tiger positions himself for a major chase at PGA

By the time Tiger Woods made the turn Thursday, the sun had come out at Harding Park and the pandemic gaiter that hung around his neck on his front nine was now in the bag.

A par save on the previous hole had Woods feeling good about his new putter, and his back was feeling good, too. Better yet, he wasn't spending a lot of time hacking shots out of the deep, wet rough.

Yes, it was quiet, way quieter than any of the 78 previous major championships Woods had ever played in. But it turns out the greatest player of his time can play without crowds too.

And with Woods in contention after an opening round 68, the strangest PGA Championship ever suddenly doesn't seem so strange after all.

Not to the fans cheering Woods on at home. More importantly, perhaps, not to Woods himself.

‘'It's just different,'' Woods said. ‘'That's probably the only way to say it; this is what we're going to have to get used to in the near future and for probably for a while.''

On what looked like a fine San Francisco summer day, Woods put together the kind of opening round that would normally have thousands shouting his name as he moved from tee to green. He made five birdies against three bogeys and was never in danger of making a number that might shoot him out of the tournament before it hardly even began.

He beat the other two guys in his threesome, not a bad accomplishment considering one is a former No. 1 player in the world and the other is the current No. 1. The only surprise for Woods when his day was done was the number of players off early who had gone even lower.

Still, Woods was just three shots off the early pace as he resumed his chase — delayed by a pandemic — for his first win since his historic Masters victory last year.

He's looking — and feeling — comfortable in an area where he has played some of his best golf.

The record he wants most — 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus — is still in play, at least for another day. ‘'I felt like I kept the round going most of the day,'' Woods said.

If it's at all possible, Woods came into the PGA a little bit under the radar. Oddsmakers had faded his chances and there were other compelling story lines with new No. 1 Justin Thomas, huge hitting Bryson DeChambeau and, of course, Brooks Koepka going for a third straight Wanamaker trophy.

But Woods can still win majors, as he showed at the Masters by breaking an 11-year drought in golf's biggest tournaments.