Spaniard Garcia sets pace at breezy Sawgrass

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Spaniard Sergio Garcia, steadily regaining confidence in his putting, took advantage of an early tee-off time to seize a two-stroke lead in the Players Championship first round on Thursday.

Seeking his first PGA Tour title in almost three years, Garcia fired a sparkling six-under-par 66 at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass to take control of the event widely regarded as the unofficial fifth major.

The 28-year-old piled up seven birdies, four of them in six holes, and a lone bogey in breezy morning conditions to finish two ahead of Americans Kenny Perry and Paul Goydos.

Twice champion Steve Elkington of Australia opened with a 69 to lie three off the pace, level with Britain's Ian Poulter, Swede Niclas Fasth and Americans Heath Slocum and Todd Hamilton.

On a day when the average score ballooned to 73.716, the late starters had to cope with strengthening winds and sun-baked greens as the firm, fast-running Stadium Course dried out.

Garcia, runner-up at Sawgrass last year, launched his sizzling birdie run at the par-five 11th and holed a monster putt from 40 feet before reaching the turn in four-under 32.

He picked up further shots at the second and fifth before offsetting a three-putt bogey at the eighth with another birdie at the par-five ninth, his final hole.

"The greens were very nice, very quick but rolling very, very true," a smiling Garcia told reporters after totalling 29 putts. "If you managed to put some good rolls in there, you were going to make some putts.