Report: Philip Reid at Mount Juliet

In this neck of the woods, where hurlers known as cats tend to know a thing or two about stickwork, the biggest cat of all came and demonstrated his wizardry with a different kind of club and ball. It was mesmerising.

Rather than using stealth, as he normally does, to manoeuvre his way into a challenging position, Tiger Woods instead went for the kill; and a course record 65 enabled him to take sole position of the first round lead in the American Express World Championship at Mount Juliet yesterday.

On a dry day, with just the hint of wind, the world's number one player was one of 44 in the field to shoot sub-par rounds.

Nobody, however, performed the task with as much aplomb as Woods, who did so without dropping a shot, and afterwards insisted that a win here would mean more to him than victory at next week's Ryder Cup.

"There are a million reasons why," he joked, before expanding: "This is a big event. This is the best players in the world. You're playing strokeplay on a great golf course. I'm not saying the Ryder Cup is not important; it's a completely different animal. It's an individual effort here; next week is a team effort. I think these championships are just an echelon below the majors."

Certainly, Woods, more than anyone, is playing his part in elevating the status of the WGC events. He has won five of these championships in their short history, and he worked his way into the first round lead with birdies on the final two holes.

The birdie on the 18th hole, a par four of 481 yards which played as the hardest throughout the day, exemplified his qualities. Woods split the fairway with a two-iron off the tee, hit a six-iron approach to 25 feet above the hole, and rolled in the birdie putt.

The clenched-fisted salutary gesture as the ball fell into the cup gave those crowded around the green, on mounds and in the grandstand, an outward indicator of his great desire to win. The putt also moved him out of the pack and into the lead, a shot ahead of Steve Lowery and David Toms, and two clear of a quintet of players.

Remarkably, Woods birdied only one of the par fives, the 17th. It all added up to a 65, and was considered a record because of the work completed on the course which added 168 yards to its length.

"I think the course is playing absolutely gorgeous. The fairways are perfect. The greens are the best we have putted on all year, including the majors. These things are absolutely pure," he said.

Everyone, to a man, concurred with Woods' assessment. Chris DiMarco, one of those five players on 67, two behind Woods, remarked: "The course is great. The course is perfect. The greens are perfect. The fairways are perfect. The tees are perfect. The rough is up. It's phenomenal."

Padraig Harrington, given what some called the draw from hell in being paired with Woods in the first round, didn't look the least bit burned by his experience.

"The atmosphere was great, brilliant, and I was quite comfortable in the situation," said Harrington, who shot a 69 which included two three-putts that "knocked back a good score. They were bad ones, both uphill. I could have been a bit more aggressive at times but I am slowly building up."

Harrington's perceived lack of aggression was attributed to a belief that he is still struggling with his alignment, a situation created by his recent injuries. In his head-to-head with Woods, Harrington came off second best in scoring terms. But he insisted he never thought of it as a match.

"Neither of us has fully completed our build-ups for the Ryder Cup . . . and there is no point having a match a week early, is there?"

Still, the Ryder Cup is bubbling under the surface for many players. Of the 10 American Ryder Cup players in the field, nine were at par or better, and only Paul Azinger - who shot 73 - was over par. Of the seven European players in the field, six were at par or better, and only Darren Clarke - who shot 75 - was over par.

Clarke's round was a frustrating one. He was one of the last players to leave the practice range on Wednesday night but, once he teed off yesterday, it was a case of fighting for every shot.

"I played more like a 10 handicapper than someone who is playing in the Ryder Cup next week," said Clarke. "I was making stupid mistakes, and 75 was certainly not what I was looking for today."

Having started with a three-putt bogey, and then incurring a run of three successive bogeys from the seventh, Clarke was managing to hold things together until he reached the 18th, where he pulled his drive into the water hazard. The ball came to rest on the grassy bank and Clarke pulled off his shoes and socks, dipped his feet into the lake, and played back out to the fairway.

His third found the green, in a similar position to where nearly three hours later Woods would make his birdie, but Clarke three-putted. It summed up his day.

The pursuit of Woods is one that 63 players will undertake for the next three days - the field was reduced by one when Shigeki Maruyama withdrew because of a shoulder injury - and, despite the world number one's position at the top of the field, hopes spring eternal. As Phil Mickelson, who had a rollercoaster round of seven birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey for 70 that left him five shots adrift of Woods, remarked: "I'm not in the thick of it, and I need a good round. But you can go low here."

Woods proved that a low score is possible; now it is time for the others to take the bait.