Holmes, Allenby share Players lead

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., May 6 (UPI) -- Robert Allenby and J.B. Holmes took advantage of perfect scoring conditions Thursday and shared the lead after one round of the Players Championship.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both wound up four shots off the lead on a day that saw 86 players break par at the TPC-Sawgrass Stadium Course. It was the second-best day of scoring in the tournament's 26-year history.

Holmes played in the morning and Allenby played in the afternoon, each firing a 6-under 66.

Jason Bohn, Ben Crane, Heath Slocum, Luke Donald, Ryuji Imada, Ryan Moore, Lee Westwood and 49-year-old Kenny Perry were all a shot back.

None of the 20 former major championship winners in the 144-player field was among the first 20 on the leaderboard after the first round.

Mickelson and Woods were in the group tied for 37th place at 70, rounds that left Mickelson disappointed and Woods reasonably satisfied.

Woods, competing for the third time since his personal life was disrupted by scandal, birdied three holes and then drove the ball into the water at the 18th en route to a closing bogey.

His 70 was a marked improvement from the 79 he shot in the second round at last week's Quail Hollow Championship, where he missed the 36-hole cut for just the sixth time in his pro career.

"I felt like I've done some good work this week," said Woods, who won this tournament nine years ago. "I played six competitive rounds in seven months. It takes tournaments. This is my third. I need rounds under my belt."

Mickelson, who won the Masters and finished second behind Rory McIlroy at Quail Hollow in his last two starts, struggled with his short game in firing his 70.

"Shooting 70 today isn't the round that you want," he said. "We came out in perfect conditions. But the reason I think this was a good day for me is I just didn't have it and I still shot a 70."

McIlroy failed to back up his sensational victory at Quail Hollow, shooting a 1-over 73.