New York Post

POUL’ VAULTER

Ian grabs Bridgeston­e lead

- Associated Press

AKRON, Ohio — Ian Poulter was annoyed upon realizing he had never finished better than 13th at Firestone, so he took a step toward doing something about it Thursday with an 8-under 62 and a one-shot lead in the Bridgeston­e Invitation­al.

Tiger Woods found himself fighting his swing. He settled for a 66.

Such was the difference of two players with vastly different memories on the stout South course at Firestone.

Woods is an eight-time winner, already a PGA Tour record for most victories on one course. Back at this World Golf Championsh­ip for the first time in four years, he made a 50-foot birdie putt and two other long putts to offset some average iron play.

It was his best opening round of the year, and he needed it just to keep pace with everyone else on a soft and vulnerable course that led to 45 players in the 71-man field breaking par. The average score was 68.37, the lowest for the opening round at Firestone since it became a WGC in 1999 and the lowest for the first round of any PGA Tour event this season.

“I didn’t quite hit it as well as I wanted to,” Woods said. “But I fought out a score today, which was good.”

Poulter, playing Firestone for the 14th time, came across a sheet showing his yearly results. He tied for 13th his first year, 10 shots behind. It never got any better.

“Yeah, it fires me up,” Poulter said after saving par from a bunker on his last hole for a bogey-free round. “I actually thought I had a better finish than that, so it really annoyed me. ... I wrote them all down, they were that bad.’’

 ??  ?? TAKING AIM: Ian Poulter lines up a putt Thursday during his 8-under 62 at the Bridgeston­e.
TAKING AIM: Ian Poulter lines up a putt Thursday during his 8-under 62 at the Bridgeston­e.

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