Trio leads Bridgestone; Tiger one back

Golf Betting Lines

08/03/2007 - Akron, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hunter Mahan, Rory Sabbatini and Paul Casey all shot rounds of three-under-par 67 on Thursday to share the opening-round lead of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Tiger Woods, a five-time winner of this event, posted a two-under 68 on Thursday and is only one back at the South Course at Firestone Country Club.

"I hit the ball pretty good today and just hit a couple loose ones," said Woods. "Short game was decent today. Thought I had some pretty good touch on the greens."

Woods began on the back nine Thursday and collected his first birdie at 12 when his 18-footer found the bottom of the cup at the par-three hole. He took advantage of the next par three, No. 15, when he ran home a long birdie chance.

He missed the green at 18 and could not save par, but got the stroke back at two. Woods' second ran through the green at the par-five hole, but he pitched to two feet to set up the easy birdie putt.

Woods birdied the fifth, but bogeyed six to fall out of the lead.

He is tied for fourth place with Mark Calcavecchia, Stuart Appleby, Boo Weekley and Arron Oberholser.

Mahan was the first to post a 67 on Thursday. He started on the second nine and birdied the 12th from three feet out. What made the birdie there all the better was that some players actually putted off the green at 12.

"There's a couple putts out here going from back to front, right when kind of the greens would roll off, they're deadly fast," said Mahan. "You have to pay attention."

Mahan made a mess of the 17th hole when he pulled his tee shot. His stance for his second was horrible, so he pitched out, but missed his approach left. Mahan left with a double-bogey, but made up for the error on his second nine.

He two-putted the par-five second for birdie and kicked in a short one at the third. Mahan missed the fairway at four en route to a bogey, but reclaimed the shot with a 20-foot birdie putt at five. He rattled off back-to-back birdies at seven and eight to get in at minus-three.

Mahan may be the hottest player in the world at the moment. Since his first PGA Tour win at the Travelers Championship in late June, Mahan has not finished lower than a tie for eighth and is strongly considered a candidate for a Presidents Cup spot.

"I just mentally got a lot better," said Mahan, who tied for sixth at the British Open. "I stopped getting mad at myself. I took control of my game and the way I was going to play out there instead of letting the game control me."

Casey started at 10 and did not get off to the type of start normally associated with a leader. He bogeyed 12 and 14, but made the turn at even-par thanks to back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17.

Casey continued his fine form around the turn with birdies at one and two. He was one off the lead, but a birdie at the par-four eighth knotted him atop the leaderboard.

Sabbatini, eighth on the PGA Tour money list, also played the back nine first and did nothing on that nine but recorded a pair of bogeys. On the second nine, the South African caught fire.

He birdied his first three holes of the second nine, then dropped a shot at four to fall back to even-par for the tournament. Sabbatini birdied five and seven and rolled in an eight-foot birdie putt at nine to join the mix at minus-three.

Kenny Perry, Justin Rose, Chris DiMarco and Paul Goydos carded rounds of one- under-par 69 and are tied for 10th place.

None of the year's three major champions broke par on Thursday. Masters winner Zach Johnson shot a one-over 71, Angel Cabrera, the U.S. Open champion, shot a 73 and Padraig Harrington, fresh off his British Open title two weeks ago, managed a 72.

Phil Mickelson was not as fortunate as the 2007 major champions. He never looked comfortable in round one and struggled to a four-over 74 to tie for 59th place.

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