Golf: Harrington in leading pack

Padraig Harrington is three shots off the pace after the opening round of the Williams World Challenge at the Sherwood Country Club course, Thousand Oaks.

Mark O’Meara and Fred Couples lead the event while Tiger Woods is two shots behind the co-leaders.

Woods is tied for third with Fiji’s Vijay Singh and Scott Verplank.

Germany’s Bernhard Langer and Harrington each carded a 69 and are joint-third.

Among the field are 15 players who will represent their nations in the 2002 Ryder Cup. All but two of the 18-man field are among the top 32 ranked players in the world.