Test of patience

Kohler: The Tiger Woods show entered a more positive phase on Thursday but it was American Bubba Watson and Italian Francesco Molinari who took control at the US PGA Championship in a fog-disrupted first round.

On a tough and breezy Whistling Straits layout demanding precision off the tee and plenty of patience, left-hander Watson and Molinari carded matching four-under-par 68s to set the pace in the year's final major.

American Ryan Moore briefly got to five under but bogeyed two of his last three holes playing into the wind for a 69 to finish level with compatriot Charles Howell III and Australian Jason Day.

Woods, whose World No 1 ranking is under threat following the worst PGA Tour performance of his career last week, appeared to be back on track as he opened with a 71.

Seventy-eight players in the field were yet to complete their rounds when play was suspended for the day in fading light after fog delayed the start of the tournament by more than three hours.

Among those still out on the course, South African Ernie Els and Americans Matt Kuchar and Nick Watney were at four under. Els and Kuchar, who holed out with a wedge to eagle the 13th, had completed 14 holes and Watney 11.

Delighted

Although Woods lost ground after racing into a tie for the lead with three birdies in his first four holes, he was delighted to record only his third sub-par score in his last 17 rounds on the PGA Tour.

"It would have been very disappointing and frustrating to end up at even par as well as I played today," four-times champion Woods told reporters after mixing four birdies with three bogeys.

"Everything was better. To shoot under par just feels like less than I should have shot for the way I played today and that's a good feeling. I felt like I had control of the ball for most of the day."

While Woods erased the memories of his joint second-last finish and 18-over total at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday, Watson putted superbly and Molinari avoided trouble to take joint control.

"It was a great day," the long-hitting Watson said after a round featuring six birdies, two bogeys and several recoveries to save par.

68 - Bubba Watson (US), Francesco Molinari (ITA); 69 - Jason Day (AUS), Ryan Moore (US), Charles Howell (US); 70 - John Merrick (US), Kim Kyung-tae (KOR), Martin Laird (UK), Jim Furyk (US), Michael Sim (AUS), Thongchai Jaidee (THA), Gregory Bourdy (FRA); 71 - Stephen Gallacher (UK), Stuart Appleby (AUS), Steve Elkington (AUS), Ryan Palmer (US), Brian Davis (ENG), Tiger Woods (US), Marc Leishman (AUS), Rhys Davies (UK), Camilo Villegas (COL); 72 - Luke Donald (UK), JB Holmes (US), Paul Casey (UK), Matt Bettencourt (USA), Martin Kaymer (GER), DJ Trahan (US), Edoardo Molinari (ITA), YE Yang (KOR), Brian Gay (US), Ian Poulter (UK), David Horsey (UK), Troy Matteson (US); 73 - Bo Van Pelt (US), Vaughn Taylor (US), Rickie Fowler (US), Justin Leonard (US), Rob Labritz (US), Soren Kjeldsen (DEN), Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Davis Love (US), Vijay Singh (FIJ), Ben Crane (US), Sonny Skinner (US) 74 - KJ Choi (KOR), Steve Marino (US), Geoff Ogilvy (AUS), Hiroyuki Fujita (JPN), Alvaro Quiros (ESP), Tetsuji Hiratsuka (JPN), David Toms (US), Anthony Kim (US), Matt Jones (AUS), Brendon de Jonge (ZIM), Daniel Willett (UK); 75 - Scott Hebert (US), Tim Petrovic (US), Rich Steinmetz (US), Jerry Kelly (US), Padraig Harrington (UK), Ricky Barnes (US), George McNeill (US); 76 - Kyle Flinton (US), Ryo Ishikawa (JPN), John Daly (US), Fredrik Jacobson (SWE), Retief Goosen (RSA); 77 - Derek Lamely (US), Stewart Cink (US); 78 - Keith Ohr (US), Sergio Garcia (ESP), Raphael Jacquelin (FRA), Rob Moss (US)