DiMarco Stays Hot at Chilly Doral

Chris DiMarco would rather be leading the PGA Tour money list in November than March, although it hasn’t happened by accident.

Just ask Tiger Woods, currently 29 places behind on the money list and two strokes behind DiMarco after the first round Thursday of the Genuity Championship at Miami.

“He’s playing beautifully,” Woods said. “He’s hitting good shots and he’s rolling the ball well. There’s no substitute for having a lot of confidence.”

The PGA Tour left unusually dry California and moved across the country to surprisingly chilly Florida. The one constant was DiMarco, who opened with a seven-under 65 for his best round on the Blue Monster at Doral and is once again the guy everyone is chasing.

Opening with three straight birdies, DiMarco finished the first round with a one-stroke advantage over Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Steve Allan of Australia and Greg Kraft.

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Twelve-year-old Michelle Wie struggled to a two-over 72 in her LPGA Tour debut, while defending champion Lorie Kane shot a 63 to take the first-round lead in the season-opening Takefuji Classic in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Wie, the 5-foot-10 seventh grader from Honolulu, had three birdies and five bogeys in surprisingly calm conditions on the oceanside Waikoloa Beach Resort course.