Garcia starts title defence well at Sawgrass

Defending champion Sergio Garcia made a strong start as The Players Championship got under way at TPC Sawgrass today.

The Spaniard landed the biggest victory of his career at the Players Stadium Course 12 months ago as he made up three strokes on leader American Paul Goydos in the final round and then beat him in a sudden-death play-off at the famous 17th 'Island Hole'.

Aiming to be the first player in the tournament's 35-year history to successfully defend his title, Garcia began as he left off last year, with opening birdies starting from the par-four 10th and then the par-five 11th.

He parred his third hole and birdied his first par-three of the day at the 14th to move to three-under after four, one shot back on early leader Scott Verplank.

American Verplank, a runner-up in 2005, also started on the back nine and after birdies at his third and fifth holes, he jumped into the lead with an eagle at the par-four 15th when he holed out from 141 yards.

Also on three-under alongside Garcia were an American trio of Johnson Wagner, Ben Curtis and John Mallinger as well as India's Jeev Milkha Singh, Australian Nick O'Hern and Sweden's Richard S Johnson.

Singh and O'Hern had advanced the furthest in their opening rounds, three-under after nine holes.

Scotland's Martin Laird was going well at two-under after nine holes alongside in-form American Nick Watney, through five, 2005 winner Fred Funk of the US, having played seven, and Australian two-time Players champion Steve Elkington, who had birdied his first two holes.

US Open 2008 runner-up Rocco Mediate was part of a large group of early starters at one-under that also included Sweden's Henrik Stenson and Daniel Chopra with Justin Rose of England joining them with a birdie at the 11th, his second hole of the day.

Ireland's Rory McIlroy also started on the back nine and birdied his second to add to the throng at one-under, as did compatriot Graeme McDowell with a birdie at the 18th as he made the turn.

World number one Tiger Woods got off to a steady start with pars on his first four holes from the 10th tee, only to bogey the par-four 14th after spraying his tee shot wide right and then his second shot wide left before two-putting from 38 feet.

Woods was one-over after six holes but his bogey five was nothing compared to Luke Donald's travails at the par-five second hole.

Having birdied the first, the Englishman drove right into rough and took three shots to get back on the fairway.

Still 178 yards from the pin, his fifth shot missed the green but found more rough, from which he managed to pitch out to 14 foot and two-putt for a quadruple-bogey eight.