Woods leads the way at US PGA

Four-times winner Tiger Woods seized control of the US PGA Championship on Thursday, firing a flawless five-under-par 67 to snatch an early one-shot lead in the opening round.

Fresh from back-to-back wins on the PGA Tour in the last two weeks, the world number one delivered a superb display from tee to green on the monster Hazeltine National course.

In pursuit of his 15th major victory but first this year, Woods birdied three of his last eight holes to finish a stroke in front of playing partner Padraig Harrington, the defending champion.

Australians Robert Allenby and Mathew Goggin, American Hunter Mahan and long-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros were all on 69, alongside Vijay Singh and David Toms.

Graeme McDowell is in a large group on two under, while Rory McIlroy is a shot back on one under.

However, Darren Clarke had a disappointing six-over and will have to play a remarkable round on Friday to stick around for the weekend.

Although the 7,674-yard layout is the longest to stage a major, Woods and company took advantage of its generous fairways and softened greens in hot, humid conditions.

"The way the course is set up you can be a bit aggressive," Woods told reporters after recording his lowest opening round at the PGA Championship since firing a 66 at Valhalla in 2000.

"I played really well today and felt very comfortable with what I was doing. It's always nice to get off quick. In the first round you can play yourself out of a golf tournament but you certainly can't win the tournament on the first day.

"I hit a bunch of good shots and this round could have been really low," he added after reaching 15 of 18 greens in regulation. "I missed a bunch of putts out there."

Irishman Harrington, who clinched last year's title by two shots at Oakland Hills, relished his high-profile grouping with Woods in front of huge galleries.

"It puts you under a bit more pressure," the three-times major winner said after hitting five birdies and a lone bogey at the par-four first. "You have to go to a new level.

"I think it pushes you on and that's what I like. There's no point in being cautious or playing safe and I can get caught very much in the middle at times."

Harrington is bidding for his first victory on either the PGA or European tours this season after working hard on refining his downswing over the last eight months.

"I know what I need to do and I'm comfortable now to spend more time on the likes of my short game and things like that," he said. "That's obviously paying dividends on the golf course."