SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — The fog finally lifted over Whistling Straits and revealed a stunning vista.
Tiger Woods’ name was atop the leaderboard.
Just not for long.
At the end of the opening day at the PGA Championship, Woods wasn’t near the names of Bubba Watson and Francesco Molinari, who shot 4-under-par 68s; or Ernie Els, Matt Kuchar and Nick Watney, who also were at 4-under when it became too dark for them to finish the first round.
Woods, who made three birdies inside 12 feet on the opening four holes, had to birdie his final hole just to break par, a 1-under 71.
That used to be considered an ordinary start for Woods in a major, but considering his recent woes, it was nearly cause for celebration.
“To shoot something under par, that was the goal today,” Woods said.
He joined 21 others among the 78 early starters who completed the first round, which was delayed by more than three hours because of fog. Still to be determined is whether he can back that up. It was the first time in eight rounds Woods had broken par.
And there were enough errant shots, including one that went so far left it found a marsh he didn’t know was there, that Woods had to make an 8-foot birdie on the final hole to avoid wasting a day in which he appeared to make progress.
“I’ve played too good not to shoot under par,” Woods said. “It would’ve been very disappointing and frustrating to end up at even par as well as I played today. To make that putt — to shoot under par — just feels like that’s what I should have shot the way I played today. And that’s a good feeling.”
Since when is shooting 71 a good feeling for a guy with 14 majors? When he’s coming off the worst tournament of his career, an 18-over 298 at Firestone to beat only one player in the field, raising questions that ranged from whether this would be his last PGA Tour event of the year to whether he belonged in the Ryder Cup.
“Welcome to golf, you know?” Woods said.
The fog delay meant none of the late starters could finish the opening round.
Els, desperate to make sure another year doesn’t end without a major, played bogey-free through 14 holes and was at 4-under, making a 7-foot par save on the 14th shortly before the horn sounded. Also at 4-under were Kuchar and Watney, courtesy of eagles — Kuchar on the 13th early in his round by holing from the fairway, Watney on the par-5 11th, his last hole of the day.
Phil Mickelson, closer than ever to going to No. 1 in the world, ended a wild day at 1-under. He knocked it close for a couple of birdies and spent the rest of the time in the bunkers and rough as he scrambled to save par. He finished on a strong note with back-to-back birdies, the last one a wedge that stopped 2 feet away on the 11th.
In a summer of majors at Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, it only figured a fog delay of just over three hours would be in Wisconsin.
“I had never gotten up at 5:30 for a 12 o’clock tee time,” said Charles Howell, who shot a 69.
The group at 69 also included Ryan Moore, the only player among the early starters to reach 5-under until dropping two shots over his last three holes into the wind. Jason Day of Australia bogeyed his last hole for a 69.
Of all Watson’s birdies, none showed off his power quite like the 587-yard fifth hole, the first one on the back nine with the wind at this back. Ignoring the bunkers and water to the right, Watson hammered his drive so far — 445 yards by his calculations — that he had only a lob wedge for his second shot and an easy two-putt birdie.
“It makes it a little easier, I guess, when you do that,” Watson said of his long game.
Molinari missed only four fairways and two greens, dropped only one shot along the way and worked his way into a share of the early lead with a birdie on the par-3 seventh, among the scariest of the par 3s that hug the shoreline.
“Tiger is going to get back to his standards, and Phil is going to win more majors,” he said. “And so you just need to play really well and try to grab the occasion when you have it.”
