Sports

Woods has finished in 2nd place at the HSBC Champions twice before. After consecutive holes failing to make birdie with a wedge in his hand, he knocked in a 10-foot birdie on the ninth and was on his way. He reached the par-5 18th in two for one last birdie to catch Watney (70) at 10-under 134. They were one shot clear of Mickelson, Ryan Moore (69) and Alvaro Quiros. Anthony Kim and Pat Perez reside one stroke off that group, giving golf fans a wonderful environment to watch and enjoy this weekend.

He birdied his first two holes from inside 10 feet, then hit a hybrid where he wasn't aiming on the par-5 14th. He was playing away from the flag -- and the water guarding the right side -- pushed it slightly and was relieved to see it settle 30 feet behind the hole. He made the putt for eagle and turned in 31, then fired off four straight birdies while building a two-shot lead. Matt Kuchar and Pat Perez were among those at 68, while Phil Mickelson, Jason Dufner and Brian Gay checked in at 69. Of the top 20 on the leaderboard through the opening round, nine were Americans.

A five-year tour pro, Moore takes over an equity ownership role with the company and has various performance incentives built into his contract. In exchange, he will use irons and wedges from Scratch Golf, while also wearing its logo on his clothing and golf bag. Moore is currently competing at the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai and wasn't immediately available for comment. He opened with a first-round 6-under 66 for a share of second place, two strokes behind leader Nick Watney.

Golf Australia said Norman will also sit out his signature event in Florida, the Shark Shootout, in the week after the Australian Open. Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and John Daly are entered in the Australian Open, the second of three tournaments on the Australian late-year circuit.

Kim has been one of the most traveled players in the game this season, filing cards in Australia, Malaysia, Spain, China, New Zealand, and (of course) England and America. He is one of six US-based golfers to join the European Tour to join the Race for Dubai, a series of events that will invite the top 60 on the money leaders list to qualify. Of the six golfers from the States to join the fight, Kim, Geoff Ogilvy, and Camilo Villegas are the only to make that top 60. Kim will not be repalced in the Dubai World Championship.