Sponsors' exemption leads PGA event in Tampa

American Garrett Willis, playing on a sponsors exemption, gained a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Tampa Bay Championship at the Innisbrook golf club and resort.

Willis produced a six-under-par round of 65, with just a bogey on the par four third, to have a two shot advantage over six players including Retief Goosen and Jim Furyk.

The 36-year-old, whose only win on the PGA Tour came over nine years ago in Tucson, took advantage of lighter winds for the early starters, making 30 on the back nine.

"I was fortunate to get off early before the wind really started kicking up, ... when there is wind here then it is very difficult. So I was happy to get done when I did," he said.

Two-times U.S. Open winner Goosen from South Africa and Swede Carl Pettersson were the two international players tied in second along with Americans Furyk, Jonathan Byrd, Jeff Maggert and Rickie Fowler.

Goosen said the direction of the wind was causing particular problems, even though he coped well.

"It was playing cross on the whole course, every shot there was a cross wind. There were no holes where you were really playing downwind or straight into the wind," he said.

Pettersson, who won the first of his three PGA Tour events on the Innisbrook course, is aiming for his second top 10 finish of the year.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington, who dashed back to Tampa after attending a St. Patrick's Day party at the White House on Wednesday, shot a two-under 69, helped by a birdie on the tough 445 yard par four 18th, which features 10 bunkers.

Last year's British Open winner Stewart Cink had a nightmare start and faces a fight to avoid the cut after firing seven over.

Cink made a horrendous start and was seven over after eight holes having made 17 putts and hitting just three greens in the gusty winds.

Spain's Sergio Garcia and Britain's Ian Poulter both finished two over while Fiji's Vijay Singh withdrew before the start due to a back injury and was replaced by Maggert.

- Reuters