Pádraig Harrington and Tiger Woods went right back at it on the opening day of the final major of the year as the USPGA Championship at Hazeltine in Minnesota took fire from the very start. When the smoke cleared, Woods took the early clubhouse lead after a bogey-free round of five-under-par 67 left him one clear of the Irishman, who fired a single bogey to five birdies as the pair took up from where they left off last Sunday in Akron

Having gone toe-to-toe at Firestone Country Club last Sunday in the final round, Woods and Harrington were paired once more for the first two rounds alongside Rich Beem, the 2002 champion when last the event visited Hazeltine.

A triple-bogey from Harrington last Sunday had decided their battle and handed Woods his fifth victory of the year and the world number one, a four-time USPGA champion, began the quest for his 15th major looking for a third tournament win in as many weeks.

Woods stole a march on the 642-yard, par-five 15th, getting up and down from a bunker but at the next hole Harrington caught up thanks to another good iron shot to six feet.

Harrington had his first stutter of the day when he bogeyed the first, his 10th hole, but bounced straight back with a birdie at the next hole to return to two under.

Woods also birdied the second hole to move to three under but was still lying one shot off the lead as Australia’s Robert Allenby, American Michael Bradley and Alvaro Quiros all improved to four under.

Allenby birdied the 14th, Bradley the eighth and the Spaniard made a three at the par-four second but then all three dropped shots and who was waiting to pounce but Woods and Harrington.

Woods was the first to get to four under, with a birdie at the par-five third, his 12th, and Harrington joined him there thanks to another good iron shot at the sixth, from where he made a birdie three.

Harrington missed a birdie opportunity at the seventh but Woods, having left his eagle putt short, made no mistake from three feet with a birdie putt to go into the outright lead at five under, parring his way home to the clubhouse lead in 67.

Harrington admitted he is enjoying the battle with Woods, despite coming off second best last weekend.

“The great thing when you play with Tiger is that you know you’re going to have to play the shots,” Harrington said.

“It puts you under more pressure and you feel like you might as well go after it rather than hang back. It actually helps you focus and you know you have to be on your very best form. It motivates you to play well.”

Ominously for Harrington and the rest of the field, Woods was in buoyant mood after his opening salvo.

“I was just very comfortable with what I was doing today,” he said. “The golf course is set up very fair. It’s difficult but as Paddy (Harrington) and I were saying, you don’t (usually) see pins, six, seven, eight feet from the side. It’s normally three and four.

“So you can make birdies and be a little more aggressive going at these flags. You don’t have to be as conservative.”

US Ryder Cup player Hunter Mahan could have joined Harrington at four under but closed with a bogey five at the ninth for a three-under 69 in the clubhouse alongside the Australian pair of Allenby and Mathew Goggin and the big-hitting Quiros.

Graeme McDowell posted two birdies and kept the bogeys off his card as he signed for a two under 70, while Rory McIlroy carded a 71, the same mark as Sergio Garcia.

Lee Westwood had an eventful opening nine holes starting at the 10th. The world number 13, who tied for third place at last month’s Open Championship, bogeyed his third and birdied the fourth then bogeyed the 16th and birdied the 17th to get back to even par as he made the turn.

He moved to two under thanks to birdies at the fifth and seventh and closed with a two-under 70.

Four of the later starters had made it to two under during their rounds, including former champions Vijay Singh and David Toms.

Darren Clarke, playing his 50th major championship, was not faring so well as four bogeys through his first 12 holes left him on four over.

World number three Paul Casey withdrew early this morning due to a rib injury, his place in the 156-man field taken by American Tim Petrovic.

LEADERBOARD
Early clubhouse scores (Par 72, US unless stated)

67T Woods
68 P Harrington (Irl)
69R Allenby (Aus), M Goggin (Aus), H Mahan (USA), A Quiros (Sp)
70P Goydos, T Jaidee (Thai), G McDowell (Irl), L Westwood (Eng), M Bradley
71H Fujita (Jpn), R McIlroy (Irl), B Van Pelt, S Garcia (Sp), R Beem, A Hansen (Den)
72K Dicciani, DJ Trahan, C Wi (Kor), S Herbert, C Pettersson (Swe), N Green (Aus), D Johnson, T Lehman, M Miles, S Hansen (Den), L Oosthuizen (Rsa)
73R Fisher (Eng), J Mallinger, J Furyk, M Kaymer (Ger), H Stenson (Swe), R Sterne (Rsa), J Rose (Eng), C Villegas (Col), M Sim (Aus)
74P Perez, R Pampling (Aus), S Appleby (Aus), K Perry, R Sabbatini (Rsa), C Wood (Eng), C Campbell, P Hanson (Swe), M Brooks, F Couples, Z Johnson, S O'Hair, B Weekley, M Weir (Can)
75R Green (Aus), S Katayama (Jpn), C Thomas, N Watney, D Smail (NZ), B Snedeker, T Lancaster
76B Baird, P Marksaeng (Thai), T Petrovic, JB Holmes, S Micheel, A Baddeley, K Streelman
77S Verplank, M Kuchar
78C Beckman, M Smail, A Wall (Eng), B Gay, B Quigley
79B Gaffney
80N Dougherty, M Campbell (NZ)
81R Gaus
84M Lowe
87K Roman