Tiger Woods makes strong start at Bay Hill

Woods returned to Bay noon, already was at 5 unHill for the first time since der through 10 holes. his record eighth victory in Coming off a runner-up ORLANDO, FLA. » Tiger 2013, and it was like he had finish at the Valspar ChamWoods was out- of-bounds never left. The gallery was pionship that raised exby inches and holed a 70enormous, especially with pectations of a victory befoot birdie putt , and he an unseasonable chill in the ing closer than ever, Woods was only part of the enterair, and he delivered a memstarted and finished strong, tainment Thursday at the orable show. with one mishap in the midArnold Palmer Invitational.dle.LastweekatInnisbrook

Former PGA champion was the first time he broke is drive on No. 3, his Jimmy Walker, who wasn’t par in the opening round 12th hole of the round, even planning to be at Bay since his return following a sailed to the right and went Hill until he mixed up the fourth back surgery. Thursoff a cart path and toward dates for a trip to Augusta day at Bay Hill was the first the houses. Only when he National, holed a wedge he broke 70. Each round reached the ball did Woods from 132 yards for eagle on seems to get a little better. find it rolled into the bottom No. 18 that gave him a 5-un“I feel like I’m not really of a mesh fence. It looked der 67 and a one-shot lead thinking as much around like it was in play, except over Woods, Patrick Reed the golf course,” Woods the poles on the waist-high and Byeong Hun An. said. “I can just see and feel fence were the boundaries,

The action never stopped. it and go.” and his ball was inches outThe loudest cheers were Rory McIlroy, among side of them. around Woods. those playing in the after- He went back to the tee, sprayed the next tee shot under a tree and made double bogey.

And then came the big finish — two birdies on the par 5s, including a bold flop shot from a tight lie over a bunker at No. 6 — and then a 70-foot putt he was hoping would be close. Woods immediately pressed his hand down, asking for the ball to slow down, and then watched it drop for a most unlikey birdie.

“I was trying to lag it down there and just make my par and get out of here,” he said. “It had to crash at the hole — which I’m not complaining — and it went in.”

He closed with a 12-foot putt to save par from the bunker.

Walker was on the other side of the golf course finishing up at the same time. He went over the green on the par- 5 16th for a tough up- and- down for birdie, made it through the par-3 17th without any drama and finished up on the toughest hole at Bay Hill.

His wedge hopped twice and disappeared for a 2.

“Those work on any hole,” Walker said.

Walker rarely plays Bay Hill because of tournaments in Texas he prefers to play ahead of the Masters, and this year was going to be no exception. He had a trip to Augusta National planned with some friends and club members and thought it was this weekend.

Instead, it was meant to be Monday and Tuesday. Walker’s wife, Erin, has a horse-jumping show in West Palm Beach. The kids are with their grandparents skiing in Utah.

“I figured I might as well play,” Walker said.

He had two days at Augusta National, didn’t have a practice round at Bay Hill because he wasn’t in pro-am and matched his lower score at Bay Hill. He also had a 67 in the second round in 2005.

“It’s just golf,” he shrugged. “Just hit the shots. I’ve done so many Monday qualifiers earlier in my career where you never see the golf course. Sometimes it helps because you’re not overdoing it.”