Tiger Woods surges to British Open lead
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-14 20:21

Tiger Woods got started on another runaway victory at the birthplace of golf. Jack Nicklaus tried to hang on 'til the weekend. And everyone paused to remember the victims of the London bombings.

Woods, an overwhelming favorite to capture his second British Open title, surged to the top of the leaderboard early Thursday with seven birdies in a stretch of nine holes at St. Andrews.

Woods finally made a mistake at the 13th, taking bogey after failing to get up-and-down from one of 112 bunkers on the Old Course. Five years ago, he avoided the treacherous sand all four days en route to a record-setting eight-stroke Open victory.

Despite his slip-up, Woods was 6 under through 14 holes and two strokes ahead of the field, though many of the top players — Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson among them — didn't tee off until the afternoon.

Two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen was the leader in the clubhouse, overcoming a double bogey for a 68. Also at 4 under were English hopeful Luke Donald and France's Thomas Levet.

Defending Open champion Todd Hamilton got off to a slow start, shooting 74.

Even with Woods' brilliant play in the early going, this was one of the rare occasions when he shared the spotlight with another player.

Nicklaus began his Open farewell with a flourish, clearing the Swilcan Burn with a short iron on his second shot and rolling in a 4-foot birdie putt. Tom Watson, a five-time winner of this event and one of Nicklaus' fiercest rivals in the 1970s, also started with a birdie at the first hole.

As the two strolled to the second tee, someone shouted, "Another duel in the sun!"

"So far," Nicklaus replied, managing a slight grin at the thought of his memorable showdown with Watson at Turnberry in 1977.

The mood turned somber at noon, when St. Andrews joined the rest of the country in observing two minutes of silence, honoring the victims of last week's terrorist attacks in London.

At least 52 people were killed and hundreds injured when bombs went off in three subway trains and a double-decker bus.

An airhorn signaled the brief suspension of play. Woods took off his hat, closed his eyes and bowed his head at the 14th hole.

Five years ago, Woods failed to hit into any bunkers and set a major championship record at 19-under 269. His eight-stroke win was part of his unprecedented "Tiger Slam" — four straight major titles, though not all in the same calendar year.

This latest performance should come as no surprise. Woods certainly knows how to accept the torch from the player he grew up hoping to surpass as the greatest player ever.

When Nicklaus said goodbye to the other three majors, Woods was the winner each time — the 1999 PGA Championship at Valhalla, the '00 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, this year's Masters at Augusta National.

"I wish he'd keep retiring," Woods said this week.

The way things were going, his 5-year-old scoring record might be in jeopardy. Woods has emerged from the second major swing change of his career to reclaim his status as the world's most feared player — a victory at the Masters in April, a runner-up showing to Michael Campbell at the U.S. Open three weeks ago.

The 65-year-old Nicklaus is more of a ceremonial player than a serious contender, but the presumed end of his competitive career drew a large crowd to the Scottish seaside on a breezy, cloudy morning.

The cheers turned to groans when he barely caught the right side of the huge green at No. 2, three-putting from nearly 100 feet for a bogey that quickly knocked him off the leaderboard.

While acknowledging that his chances of winning were nil, Nicklaus hoped to make the cut and delay his final walk across the Swilcan Bridge until Sunday. It wasn't looking good after three straight bogeys on the back side pushed him to 3 over.

After missing a 5-footer for the third one, Nicklaus bent over and dropped his putter in anguish.

There was plenty of sentimentality and emotion at the birthplace of golf, where Nicklaus won two of his record 18 major titles and picked as the most appropriate place to bring it all to an end.

Nicklaus' son, Steve, handled the caddie duties. Jack's wife, Barbara, and two other sons, Gary and Jackie, were part of the gallery.

"He's just so special, isn't he?" a British fan commented while watching Nicklaus at the first hole. "In every respect."

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