Leaders Are Worlds Apart After One Round at Sahalee

This World Golf Championship certainly lived up its name Thursday, as Retief Goosen of South Africa and Toshi Izawa of Japan each had a six-under-par 65 to share the lead in the NEC Invitational at Sammamish, Wash.

Davis Love III and Phil Mickelson were at 66 with Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, while players from five other countries were also right in the mix on a sunny, picturesque afternoon at Sahalee Country Club.

Tiger Woods found the tree-lined course east of Seattle a little more difficult to navigate than Firestone, where he had won the last three NEC Invitationals. Woods is the only winner in the three-year history of the event.

Woods overcame a double bogey on the 17th hole to post a three-under 68, a good start in his bid to become the first player since Walter Hagen at the PGA Championship (1924-27) to win the same tournament four years in a row.

He was angry after the double bogey, the result of a six-iron that came up short and went into a pond. Asked what made him so upset, Woods paused and replied, emphasizing every word, “The ball ended up in the water.”

Goosen and Izawa had no such problems.

Despite the $5-million purse and a world-class field of 78 players, the tournament had the feel of a holiday. The crowds were not quite as large or boisterous as the PGA Championship last week, and the pressure wasn’t as great.

Better yet for Goosen and Izawa, they managed to shake off their shabby weekend at Hazeltine (79-75 for Goosen, 75-78 for Izawa).

Justin Rose of England was among those at 67, and the group at 68 included Thomas Bjorn of Denmark, Sergio Garcia of Spain, Craig Perks of New Zealand and Vijay Singh of Fiji. Singh won the PGA Championship at Sahalee four years ago.

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Charles Howell III birdied three of the first four holes en route to a seven-under 65 and a one-stroke lead in a bid for his first PGA Tour victory at the $3-million Reno-Tahoe Open at Reno.

John Rollins, J.L. Lewis and Tom Pernice Jr. were tied for second at 66 after the first round at the 7,472-yard, par-72 Montreux Golf & Country Club.

Rookie Ben Crane of Oregon, Britian’s Luke Donald, Australia’s Steve Allan, Eduarado Herrera, Jonathan Kaye and Boo Weekley all were next at 67.

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Jill McGill and Danielle Ammaccapane shot six-under 66s to share the lead in the Betsy King Classic at Kutztown, Pa.

McGill, winless in her seven-year LPGA Tour career, holed a pitching wedge from 110 yards for an eagle two on the 14th hole.

Michelle McGann, Carri Wood, Wendy Doolan and Michelle Ellis opened with 67s. Tournament host Betsy King shot a 73, and defending champion Heather Daly-Donofrio had a 76.

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Henry Liaw of Rowland Heights, at 16 the youngest player to qualify for match play, advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Liaw, the 2001 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, made a curving par putt on No. 18 to halve the hole and defeat Nebraska senior Seth Porter, 1 up, in the round of 16. Earlier in the day, he beat J.J. Jakovac, 3 and 2, in the round of 32.

Medalist Bill Haas, the son of veteran PGA Tour player Jay Haas, earned a quarterfinal berth with a 2-and-1 victory over D.J. Trahan, the NCAA player of the year while at Clemson and the 2000 U.S. Public Links champion.