Matt Kuchar holds a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the BMW Championship, as Tiger Woods made a poor start in the defense of his Cog Hill title.
American Ryder Cup star Kuchar -- winner of The Barclays event last month -- downed a long birdie putt on his final hole for a seven-under-par 64, putting him just in front of compatriot Ryan Moore, with Englishman Ian Poulter another stroke behind.
Holder Tiger Woods endured a miserable day in the defense of his title, carding a two-over-par 73 to lie nine strokes off the pace. It was the world number one's maximum round at Cog Hill since posting a 73 in the 2005 Western Open.
Woods needs to finish at least fifth in the 70-strong field to secure one of the 30 places accessible for the final FedEx playoff tournament -- the Tour Championship -- at East Lake, Atlanta in two weeks.
"As of right now, I'm only five shots back from that spot. That is not too bad," Woods told journalists. Kuchar, who heads the playoff standings subsequent his Barclays victory, said: "I was driving it well. I was in fact doing everything well. It felt very good."
Meanwhile, world number two Phil Mickelson fared not much better than Woods, concluding his round with a bogey for a level par 72.
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