Woods and Mickelson get early birdies

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson did not have to wait long for their first birdie when the Players Championship – golf’s richest event – began at Sawgrass in Florida today.

Woods, toppled as world number one on Sunday by Vijay Singh just two weeks after ending his six-month reign, sank a 25-foot putt on the long 11th, his second hole.

Almost simultaneously Mickelson, back from a skiing holiday for the start of his countdown to his Masters defence in two weeks, hit his approach to within three feet of the first flag.

Even though the tournament had kicked off over an hour earlier they immediately moved into a share of second place on one under par, one behind their fellow American Robert Gamez.

England’s Luke Donald was in the first group out at 7am and after scrambling a scrappy par on the 11th – he was in rough, then in a bare patch under a tree, then a bunker before holing a seven-footer – he pitched to tap-in distance on the 358-yard 12th.

However, a bogey came at the 14th to return him to level par. Padraig Harrington, runner-up two years ago but competing reluctantly this time with his father battling cancer at home, opened with a solid par four on the 10th.