Love leads WGC

Davis Love had Tiger Woods in hot pursuit after making a brilliant start to the NEC world championship in Akron today.

Love, joint fourth with Woods in the USPGA championship on Monday, holed from off the green for eagle at the long second and then sank birdie putts of 10 and six feet at the third and fifth.

But the world number one, who revealed yesterday that he took a real gamble on Monday by not waiting to see if he would be in a play-off for the final major of the season, was only one behind after 11 holes.

Woods is the Firestone record holder, a 61 in 2000 helping him to the second of three consecutive victories in the event.

With two fourths and a second since this is one of his happiest hunting grounds and, usually the very first man to tee off in the 72-strong field, the crowd did not have to wait long to see him make forward progress.

The Masters and Open champion, who made a great attempt to catch Phil Mickelson from 15 shots behind last week, hit the flag on the 180-yard 12th - his third – and made the nine-footer.

Six pars followed, but Woods then converted a 20-foot chance on the first and chipped to four feet at the next to go second on his own.

Luke Donald, one of 21 Europeans taking part, kicked off his challenge with a 28-foot putt and then splashed out of sand to six feet at the second to join the group on two under.

But he then came a cropper with a double bogey six at the 471-yard fourth, taking four to get down from just short of the green.

Going best of the European contingent at that point were Colin Montgomerie, Thomas Bjorn and Jose Maria Olazabal at one under.

Montgomerie, paired with Mickelson, pushed his opening drive into sand, but saved par and then birdied the long 16th, pitching over the water to 10 feet and making the putt. Mickelson was level par after eight.

That 16th measures 667 yards, but was playing downwind and John Daly was pin high just off the green in two mighty blows.

Woods had himself struck a drive measured at 366 yards on the 13th, also with the breeze behind him.

Not going so well were Ian Poulter, who bogeyed the first two holes, Paul Casey, who crashed to a five over 40 on the front nine, and Scot Stephen Gallacher, who after a two-putt birdie at the second bogeyed three of the next seven.

Welshman Stephen Dodd, making his World Golf Championships debut, stood three over after eight and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell double-bogeyed the 14th.