McIlroy tied for lead at Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Rory McIlroy opened his season by outplaying Tiger Woods on Thursday in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, shooting a 5-under 67 for a share of the lead.

Woods shot a 70 in the threesome with McIlroy and top-ranked Luke Donald, who finished with a 71. Robert Karlsson tied for the lead, with Gareth Maybin and Richard Finch one shot back.

Woods played bogey-free golf that produced few momentous shots and only two birdies. He missed several birdie chances. "I had a hard time reading the greens out there," he said.

McIlroy, the U.S. Open champion who has had three top-five finishes in Abu Dhabi, had three birdies on his first four holes, but erratic driving led to two bogeys on the next four.

"It's a nice way to start the competitive season, I suppose," McIlroy said. "I didn't feel like I played that good. I definitely didn't strike the ball as good as I have been the last couple of weeks."

Sergio Garcia (71) had a hole-in-one on the 12th hole but otherwise struggled. KJ Choi, Colin Montgomerie, and Padraig Harrington joined the group at 71. Second-ranked Lee Westwood (72) and defending champion Martin Kaymer (77) got off to poor starts.

SAN DIEGO - Spencer Levin and Kyle Stanley knew they had to post low scores on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines to get off to a good start in the Farmers Insurance Open. It went even better than they expected.

Stanley made eagle on his final hole for a 10-under 62, his best score in two years on the PGA Tour. Levin shot 29 on the back nine and also had a 62. They were a shot ahead of FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas, who had a double bogey on his 15th hole.

The top 12 on the leaderboard played on the North

Course. The best score from the South Course was Marc Turnesa at 66.

Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, went south on the South. The three-time champion hit into 11 bunkers, missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the final hole and signed for a 77.