Watney grabs lead at Players, Tiger withdraws

(Reuters) - American Nick Watney fired an eight-under-par 64 to grab the first round lead at the Players Championship on Thursday while an injured Tiger Woods limped out of the event after just nine holes.

A frustrated Woods shot six over par going into the turn, including a triple-bogey on the fourth hole, but decided to withdraw because of pain from lingering knee and Achilles tendon injuries.

Without world number one Lee Westwood and sixth-ranked Rory McIlroy, the tournament billed as the unofficial “fifth major” was without three of the top names in golf.

American Lucas Glover, coming off a playoff win at the Quail Hollow Championship on Sunday, continued his form with a seven-under-par 65, leaving him a shot back of Watney.

Mark O’Meara, a 54-year-old two-times major winner, was a further shot back along with fellow American David Toms after the pair each carded a 66.

“If you were looking at last week, you would expect Lucas to shoot seven under but you wouldn’t expect me to shoot eight under,” said Watney, who missed the cut at last week at Quail Hollow. “I guess that’s what is great about our game and now I am really excited for this week.”

Watney, who won the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral in March, started on the back nine at the TPC Sawgrass and birdied his first three holes before a double-bogey on the par-four 14th where he got in trouble in the rough and three putted.

But the 30-year-old Watney was close to immaculate on the front nine with an eagle on the par-five second, five birdies and only a bogey on the par-three eighth to spoil his card.

German world number two Martin Kaymer, who can overtake Westwood in the rankings with a win here, was three shots behind Watney along with South African Rory Sabbatini, Swede Fredrik Jacobson and Britain’s Graeme McDowell.

At the other end of the leaderboard, Swede Henrik Stenson, winner of the Players in 2009, looks likely to miss the cut after opening with a seven-over-par 79 that included a triple bogey at the famous par-three 17th with an island green.