Sport 03-10-2003 Garcia Leads In World Championship who: Golfer Sergio Garcia what: Tops leader table on day one of World Championships where: Atlanta, Georgia when: Yesterday snippet: "Sergio Garcia, a lowly 103rd on the US Tour money list this season, gave a flawless display to lead the American Express World Championship after the first round in Atlanta," reports The Evening Standard`s website, thisislondon.com. "The 23-year-old had a five-under-par 65 at the colourfully-named Capital City Club Crabapple for a one-stroke advantage over Americans Tim Herron and Rocco Mediate as others, Colin Montgomerie and Justin Rose among them, struggled." "Garcia did not drop a shot and picked up five birdies on a course that some found severely penal because of the tangly Bermuda rough and the hardness of the greens," says The Independent`s Andy Farrell. "It`s a tough course," says Irishman Padraig Harrington in The Telegraph after scoring a one-over-par 71. "You just can`t afford to be in the rough but I hit a number of errant drives that cost me, at least three or four into the rough. There`s not a huge number of birdies to be made. I saw one of the most patient players in the world [Jim Furyk] lose his temper today. It was kind of nice." Tiger Woods returned from a four-week break with a new Nike club called Ignite and the power certainly seems to be back in his arm - he managed an average drive of 308 yards off the first nine, says The Guardian`s David Davies. "A drive at the 10th travelled 342 yards, at the 14th 335 yards and his average length off the tee for the back nine improved to 317 yards, 20 yards better than his season average so far." [... more]

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