O'Hair Leads, Woods & Harrington Lurk at East Lake

The aura around East Lake Golf Club was heightened on Thursday as the top thirty in the PGA Tour's FedExCup began their four round trek around Bobby Jones' old stomping grounds.  With up to $11.35 million on the line for this week's winner of The Tour Championship, the field went around East Lake with a sense of both drive and aggression.

The players took it to the course with some solid scoring in calm, albeit humid, conditions.  Sean O'Hair leads by himself on -4 by a stroke over local favorite and Open Champion Stewart Cink, a resurgent Padraig Harrington, and Tiger Woods.  O'Hair reached five-under at two points in his round but a bogey on the 17th hole led to his 66.

Curiously enough, O'Hair is succeeding in part because of a putting tip he received from Woods.  O'Hair said that he was delofting the putter during the backswing, which led to difficulty in releasing the putter at contact. 

O'Hair was impressed that Woods would offer a tip to him.

" I think the thing that impresses me more is the quality of guy he is," O'Hair said. "I mean, I'm his competition, and for him to help me out like he did was very classy, I thought. "

When asked the running question of the week, O'Hair said he was not sure how he would handle a single putt on the final hole for $11.35 million.

"If I do have that opportunity, I hope I have like a five-shot lead."

For Woods' part, his round was much different in terms of momentum compared to O'Hair, Cink, and Harrington.  All of them began their round with a flourish and hung on at the end.  Woods went out in +1, salvaging the front side with a birdie at the par 5 ninth.  Woods made three birdies against no bogeys on the back nine to card his 67.  In usual Tiger fashion, he birdied both of East Lake's par 5s.

After the round, Woods saw the ninth as the turning point.

"I didn't want to miss an opportunity there and make birdie. It's one of the very few birdie holes we have out there, and most of the guys are making birdie there."

In the race for the FedExCup, the top five ranked players can clinch the Cup with a win at East Lake.  The next closest to the lead of O'Hair are Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker - both at even par.

Johnson is not ready to panic yet.

"I'm encouraged, I've just got to settle down and make some more putts tomorrow and see what happens."