Players Championship: Woods among late starters

Tiger Woods was among the later starters at the Players Championship - his final tournament before he goes for a fourth successive major victory at the Masters in a fortnight.

Winner of the Bay Hill International last Sunday, he had to wait only until the long second for his first birdie.

Vijay Singh, twice a winner on the European tour already this season and determined to hang on to his Masters crown, birdied five of his last 10 holes to be one ahead of Australian Robert Allenby and American Billy Mayfair.

Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke, Ian Woosnam and Paul Lawrie were also teeing off in the afternoon - and Monty was off and running straightaway with a birdie at the first.

Nick Faldo battled back from three early bogeys for a one-over 73 and said: "At least I made it more respectable and I viewed it as a bit of a survival day. Even without much wind there aren't many easy holes out there."

Faldo is getting married for the third time on July 28 - the same day as his former caddie Fanny Sunesson weds in Sweden.

"We're thinking of having an Internet link for a laugh," he said.

Singh was joined at five under by Paul Azinger - and the former Ryder Cup star required only nine holes to do it.

Turning for home, Azinger started in similar fashion - holing from 12 feet at the 10th to take the outright lead on six under.

Woods got to two under with a six-foot putt at the seventh. But a bad drive down the long ninth led to a bogey six, and he was five behind.

Montgomerie also had a six at the ninth but he had birdied the seventh - and when he made a 30-footer on the 12th the Scot, third last year and second in 1996, was alongside Harrington on two under.

Birdies at the 16th and 17th lifted Westwood to one under - he still had the front nine to come - and Lawrie was on the same mark.

Woosnam turned at level par, and Clarke was one over after seven.