Durant, Goosen share lead at blustery Tour Championship

ATLANTA -- Look at all the fun Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are missing.

An end-of-the-year bash for the top 30 on the PGA Tour money list turned into a final exam Thursday at the Tour Championship. Retief Goosen and Joe Durant shared the lead at 2-under 68, the highest score to lead an opening round at East Lake, and only six other players managed to break par in cool, blustery conditions.

Goosen kept trying to squeeze tee shots into the fairway, the wind blowing sideways on just about every hole. Ernie Els was a part-time player, part-time gardener while clearing pine needles out of the line of his putts.

Davis Love III bogeyed the first three holes on his way to his highest score to par as a pro, a 12-over 82 with no birdies.

Perhaps the only consolation is the $1.17 million for the winner at the end of the week.

"You just felt like you had to hang in there," said Goosen, who missed a 4-foot par putt on the 18th hole. "It's tough out there for everybody today."

Not for Tiger and Phil.

The two biggest stars on the PGA Tour decided to take this week off.

Jim Furyk took a huge step toward winning the Vardon Trophy, recovering from a nasty patch in his back nine to birdie two of the last four holes for a 69, leaving him tied with 2002 winner Vijay Singh.