Garcia fires opening 66 at Players tourney

The flag was in a tempting location, back and left on the 13th green at the TPC Sawgrass with a pond running alongside the left side. Sergio Garcia took dead aim with a 7-iron and the ball never left its target.

This is nothing new with Garcia, who rarely struggles to make solid contact.

What pleased him was to see the 6-foot putt break sharply toward the water and drop into the center of the cup for one of seven birdies Thursday at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., leading to a 6-under 66 and a two-shot lead.

"I'm just looking forward to keep doing the same things -- keep hitting the ball well, keep chipping well and keep putting well," Garcia said. "And then hopefully, by the end of the week, we'll be where we are supposed to be."

That would be posing with a trophy, something Garcia has not done in nearly three years.

The 28-year-old Spaniard has strung together three impressive rounds on the frightening Stadium Course, even if his timing is a little off. The first two scores (67-66) came last year and enabled him to finish second. This one was merely a great start, but he'll take it.

Garcia is mired in an 0-for-53 drought on the PGA Tour, the longest of his career, and while he is savvy enough to realize that leading after one round only amounts to a pat on the back, it was a small step in the right direction.

"At the end of the day, the only thing I can do is keep working on it, keep giving myself chances, and it's going to happen," Garcia said. "I feel like I'm getting closer and closer. At least now, I feel like I can do it, and it's just a matter of being able to do it."

Kenny Perry and Paul Goydos each had a 68 in the mild, morning breeze on a perfectly conditioned golf course. Sawgrass turned tricky, if not downright difficult, in the afternoon.

Garcia might face a tougher task in the second round, for he also played in the morning. Only eight of the 34 rounds under par came in the afternoon with increasingly blustery conditions.

Todd Hamilton was the best among late starters with a 69, while Wachovia winner Anthony Kim rallied for a 70.

LPGA Tour

Scotland's Mhairi McKay tied the course record with a 63, and a potential battle loomed between Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam in the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill in Williamsburg, Va.

The River Course yielded 64s to Sorenstam and Sun Young Yoo, and 65s to Ochoa and Diana D'Alessio.

-- The Associated Press