Woods (66) Won’t Let His Game Go South

Closing out a tournament with a winning number is one thing, but getting started with a number low enough to hit that sonar octave, well, that’s something else indeed.

Tiger Woods took off in pursuit of a pleasant Sunday finish at the Buick Invitational when he opened with a six-under 66 Thursday at Torrey Pines. Woods didn’t have the low round of the day--Matthew Goggin posted a 64 to lead--but it was the only 66 by a guy who has won 29 times and six majors. If you’re keeping score, it’s Woods’ best opening round since September, when he began the Canadian Open with a 65.

As it turned out, the best way to get off to a good start on opening day was to play the friendly North Course, not the newly redone marathon called the South Course, which only Mark O’Meara, Lee Porter and Jay Haas solved to some degree. Goggin’s lead is one shot over Jay Williamson and Luke Donald and two over Woods--and they all played the North.

Woods had six birdies, no bogeys and an adventurous par at his closing hole, the par-five ninth, where he drove right and his ball stopped under a tree. Woods decided the best play was to punch out to the neighboring fourth fairway, where he knocked it on the green from 176 yards and two-putted.

“It’s nice to get off to a good, solid start like that,” he said. “I didn’t hit the ball all that great, but I made a lot of beautiful putts.

“I lipped out about six birdie putts. It could have been a really low number. I just need to keep working on things I’m working on. I’m being very patient on it and it’s neat to see the game getting a little bit better.”

Then there is Goggin, a 27-year-old Australian who would have been the second alternate this week except that he tied for eighth at Pebble Beach, earned his way in and made it pay off with an eight-under 64. Goggin finished with three consecutive birdies for the early lead but stopped short of calling it a big deal.

“It’s like leading the first round of the Tour de France on the flat, easy stuff,” he said. “We have three days of high mountains to go.”

At least Goggin recognizes the situation, something he has had a problem with before. Actually, the problem was that people didn’t recognize him. They confused him with Matt Gogel, who won last week at Pebble Beach.

Said Goggin: “I’m hoping I get his check.”

The Goggin/Gogel connection reached a laughable level two years ago after Gogel lost a seven-shot lead with seven holes to go at Pebble Beach. Not long afterward, television analyst Peter Kostis consoled Goggin, believing him to be Gogel. Goggin accepted the condolences without comment. “I didn’t have the heart to tell him,” Goggin said.

Donald, 24, from England, is a qualifying school graduate. He’s often mentioned with Charles Howell, David Gossett, Matt Kuchar and Ty Tryon as one of the young guns earmarked for stardom. Donald tied for 13th at the Sony Open and tied for 45th at Phoenix, but missed the cut at Pebble Beach. After watching the success Howell had last year when he won $1.78 million, Donald was inspired.

“He’s doing so well out here, why can’t I?” said Donald, who had a 65.

Maybe the best score that came out of the opening round was produced by O’Meara. The 45-year-old, who hasn’t won since the Masters and the British Open in 1998, toured the beefed-up, elongated South Course in a five-under 67. He’s tied for sixth with David Frost, Miguel Jimenez, Robin Freeman, Jerry Smith, David Sutherland and Stephen Gangluff.

“To shoot five under on a brand new golf course, it’s not exactly U.S. Open conditions right now, but it’s a demanding course,” O’Meara said.

Porter and Haas shot 68 on the 7,568-yard South Course and are tied with 10 others, including Peter Jacobsen, who was reunited this week with former caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan.

Woods began on the North back side and birdied the second par five, the 18th, with a five-iron to 20 feet and a two-putt. He also birdied the 469-yard No. 13 when he hit an eight-iron to 15 feet and also the 397-yard No. 15 with driver, sand wedge to 12 feet.

On the front side, his second nine holes, Woods two-putted from 25 feet to birdie the par-five No. 1, made a 10-footer to birdie No. 2 and made another 10-footer at No. 4 for another birdie. But his errant drive at his closing hole, the ninth, cost him a chance to go even lower.

Woods now plays the South Course and he is sure some good scores are going to be available, no matter how much tougher the course is now. The South played to a 73.782 average while the North was 70.103. Of the 73 players who finished at one under or better, 56 played the North course.