Weir (62) Tames Doral; Woods Tied in Dubai

Mike Weir attacked the Blue Monster from the start, shooting a career-low 62 on Thursday for a two-stroke lead in the Genuity Championship at Miami.

With two eagles on his first eight holes, Weir took advantage of nearly perfect conditions to post the lowest first-round score in the 40-year history at Doral.

“The course is definitely there for the taking,” said Weir, whose 62 was the lowest ever shot by a left-handed player on the PGA Tour.

Glen Day had eight birdies in a round of 64 and was kicking himself. He missed three putts inside eight feet and made only two putts longer than 10 feet. He was tied with Stewart Cink, whose 64 was the best round of the afternoon when a breeze picked up.

Davis Love III brought his game from the West Coast swing, and with three birdies on the last five holes finished with a 65, along with Steve Flesch, Harrison Frazar and K.J. Choi.

Ernie Els had a bogey-free 66 and was joined by Hal Sutton, three-time Doral champion Andy Bean and Nissan Open winner Robert Allenby, who proved he can play just as well in balmy sunshine as the wet rain in California.

Not everyone took advantage.

David Duval, who agreed to a new contract with Nike and ditched his Sun Valley cap for the swoosh, was two over on his first five holes and had to scramble for a 69. Masters champion Vijay Singh had a 70. Nick Price had a 71.

Greg Norman never got a chance to test his enthusiasm about playing. He woke up with a fever of 103 degrees and had to withdraw.

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Tiger Woods finally found himself back on top of a leaderboard, half a world away from his usual haunts.

Followed by a sellout crowd on a warm day by the Persian Gulf, Woods shot an eight-under 64 to share the first-round lead in the Dubai Desert Classic with Thomas Bjorn of Denmark.

Despite a 25 1/2-hour trip and a two-hour fog delay before play began, Woods looked right at home in the United Arab Emirates.

“The temperature was exactly like Southern Cal in the summer where I grew up,” Woods said. “You get the ocean breeze coming in at about 11:30, 12 o’clock and it just feels like home. The difference is you look out there and it looks more like Palm Springs.”

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England’s Diane Barnard shot a seven-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over New Zealander Lynette Brooky after the first round of the ANZ Australian Ladies Masters at Gold Coast.

Karrie Webb, trying for her fourth consecutive Masters title at Royal Pines, was tied for third at 67, along with Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson and Scotland’s Kathryn Marshall.