GARCIA: 'IT'S GETTING CLOSER'

Sergio Garcia believes he is edging closer to an overdue tournament victory after taking the 1st-round lead at The Players yesterday with a sizzling a six-under-par 66.

The 28-year-old, who has not won anywhere in the world in nearly three years, has always played by feel, which is why he is trying not to get too tied up in mechanics with his new short game instructor, Stan Utley.

"I seem to be driving the ball better than I have the past year or so," he said. "But more than anything, the most important thing is not that my short game looks good, but that it feels good, because at the end of the day, what you need is to feel it, and I'm starting to feel it.

"Even if I had won last week, I would still be as motivated, trying to win this week, so that doesn't change.

"At the end of the day, the only thing I can do is keep working on it, keep giving myself chances, and it's going to happen. I feel like it's getting closer and closer. At least now I feel I can do it."

Garcia, who finished a back door runner-up behind Phil Mickelson last year when American Sean O'Hair stumbled down the stretch, has opened a two-stroke lead over Americans Paul Goydos and Kenny Perry.

Goydos was among 19 players who put a total of 20 balls into the water at the famous par-3 17th, but that was one of the few blemishes on his card.

Ian Poulter headed the British contingent on 3-under 69, but it's worth noting that five of the seven British players had late tee times, and therefore endured the worst of the weather.

No fewer than 26 players broke par among the morning half of the field, compared to only eight players in the afternoon.

The tee times are reversed for the second round and, with the forecast again calling for a stiff afternoon breeze, things should even out after 36 holes, although there are no guarantees.

ALL THE FIRST ROUND SCORES
(USA unless stated, par 72):

66 Sergio Garcia (Spa)

68 Kenny Perry, Paul Goydos

69 Niclas Fasth (Swe), Ian Poulter (Eng), Todd Hamilton, Heath Slocum, Steve Elkington (Aus)

70 John Merrick, Angel Cabrera (Arg), Fred Couples, Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa), Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, Ben Crane, Kevin Stadler, Brett Quigley, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), Boo Weekley, Troy Matteson, D.J. Trahan, Nicholas Thompson

71 Chris DiMarco, Soren Hansen (Den), Jeff Quinney, Woody Austin, Stewart Cink, Tommy Armour III, Aaron Baddeley (Aus), J J Henry, Mike Weir (Can), Brett Wetterich, Scott Verplank, Briny Baird

72 Brian Gay, Billy Mayfair, Daniel Chopra (Swe), Ernie Els (RSA), Jose Coceres (Arg), Ken Duke, Stuart Appleby (Aus), Jesper Parnevik (Swe), Bernhard Langer (Ger), Rodney Pampling (Aus), Pat Perez, Alex Cejka (Ger), Kevin Na (Kor), Jeff Maggert, J.B. Holmes, Rich Beem, Brandt Snedeker, Johnson Wagner, Ryan Moore, Padraig Harrington (Irl)

73 Rory Sabbatini (RSA), Tim Herron, Bart Bryant, Davis Love III, Tom Lehman, Kevin Sutherland, Nick O'Hern (Aus), Dustin Johnson, Chad Campbell, Michael Allen, Tim Petrovic, Retief Goosen (RSA), Ryuji Imada (Jpn), Lee Westwood (Eng), Henrik Stenson (Swe)

74 Jeff Overton, Ben Curtis, Mathias Gronberg (Swe), Dean Wilson, Bo Van Pelt, Stephen Ames (Can), Jason Bohn, Jerry Kelly, Michael Campbell (Nzl), Joe Ogilvie, Steve Flesch, Cliff Kresge, Fred Funk, Brian Bateman, Charlie Wi (Kor), Mathew Goggin (Aus), Robert Allenby (Aus), Jim Furyk, Camilo Villegas (Col), Carl Pettersson (Swe), Rocco Mediate

75 Dudley Hart, Adam Scott (Aus), Greg Kraft, Tom Pernice Jnr., John Mallinger, Matthew Jones (Aus), Vijay Singh (Fij), Justin Leonard, Sean O'Hair, Luke Donald (Eng)

76 Nick Watney, Charley Hoffman, Zach Johnson, John Senden (Aus), Bubba Watson, Mark Wilson, Mark Calcavecchia, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe), Bill Haas, Jonathan Byrd

77 Andres Romero (Arg), David Toms, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus), Stephen Leaney (Aus), Tim Wilkinson (Nzl), Steve Marino, Bob Estes, Shaun Micheel, Richard Johnson (Wal), Brian Davis (Eng), Steve Stricker, Charles Warren, Steve Lowery, Peter Lonard (Aus), Paul Casey (Eng), George McNeill, Tim Clark (RSA), Richard Sterne (RSA)

78 John Rollins, Nathan Green (Aus), Justin Rose (Eng), Vaughn Taylor, Mark Hensby (Aus), Matt Kuchar

79 Robert Garrigus, KJ Choi (Kor), Charles Howell III

80 Lucas Glover

81 Shigeki Maruyama (Jpn)

83 J.P. Hayes