GOLF/Wachovia Championship:Padraig Harrington, helped by a red-hot putter, took early control at the Wachovia Championship with a six-under-par 66 in yesterday's opening round.

Bidding for his third PGA Tour title, Harrington rattled up six birdies in a blemish-free display at Quail Hollow Club to move one stroke clear.

American Jason Bohn, Harrington's playing partner, was alone in second place with South African Trevor Immelman and Swede Carl Pettersson a further shot back after carding 68s.

Big-hitting American JB Holmes and Camilo Villegas of Colombia were among a group of six bunched on 69.

Harrington, back on US soil for the first time since tying for seventh at last month's Masters, got off to a fast start in calm, overcast conditions.

After teeing off at the par-five 10th, he reeled off three birdies in a row from the 14th before reaching the turn in three-under 33.

The 35-year-old Dubliner picked up further shots at the second, third and fifth to climb to the top of the leaderboard.

World number 11 Harrington, who needed only 24 putts, made a big impression on Bohn.

"It was my first time playing with Padraig and he's an incredible guy," said the American.

"These leaders in the game, you can kind of see why they're so good because their attitude is phenomenal, whether playing good or bad.

"I kind of rode on Padraig's coat tails today," added Bohn, whose only PGA Tour victory came at the 2005 BC Open.

"He got off to a pretty quick start and played beautiful golf. He made a lot of putts. He's rolling his golf ball really well."

World number two Jim Furyk, who won last year's title after beating Immelman in a play-off, opened with a 71 to finish level with Spaniard Sergio Garcia.

Top-ranked Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh were among the late starters in a tournament which features 27 of the game's top 30 players.

While Harrington set the early pace, on the course Vijay Singh had moved to four-under-par through 13 holes.

The Fijian started in impressive fashion with birdies at the first and second, added two more at the fifth and seventh and only dropped one shot - at the sixth - in a first nine of 33.

He moved to four-under-par with his fifth birdie of the day at the 10th.

Woods, playing in his first tournament since his Masters success and exactly one year after the death of his father, Earl, was also moving up the leaderboard.

The American world number one's life has changed dramatically since he mourned the loss of his mentor and best friend.

He celebrated a golden season in 2006 with 11 titles worldwide, including major victories at the British Open and the PGA Championship, and his wife, Elin, is expected to give birth in two months.

"I was in a totally different state of mind obviously this year versus last year," Woods said.

"This time last year was not a fun period in my life but now, a year later, here I am looking forward to becoming a father. Times have changed."

Woods, who married Swede Elin Nordegren in October 2004, has frequently spoken about becoming a father.

"It's pretty exciting, actually," the 31-year-old added.

"Now I'm starting to realise that it's basically a couple months away.

"Time will really start flying and all of a sudden you'll ask, what happened."

Woods, after two pars, bogeyed the third hole, but then shot three birdies in four holes from the fifth to reach the turn in two-under-par 34.

Another birdie at the 10th took him to three under and just three behind Harrington through 15 holes.

Mickelson was six off the pace through 11 holes after an indifferent first nine.

Three birdies were cancelled out by three bogeys as the world number three reached the turn in level par 36.

Mickelson birdied the second, seventh and eighth, but dropped shots at the third, fourth and ninth holes.

And it was more of the same on the back nine with a dropped shot at the 12th being compensated for with a birdie at the 13 as he went through 15 hole still six shots off the pace.