Tiger moves into the lead at Congressional

He steadied himself with pars until hitting a soft sand wedge that skipped to a stop about 2 feet from the hole at No. 8 for one last birdie, and was off to the start he wanted as the ``greedy host.''

``That's why the guy is at such a high level,'' Glover said after playing two days with Woods. ``When things are going bad, he can rely on his short game. He just doesn't waste any shots. If he's losing shots, it's because of a bad break or a bad lie.''

Despite the five birdies, Woods recognized that five-hole stretch as the key to his round.

``That's how you keep yourself in a golf tournament,'' Woods said. ``I made a couple of big putts - 17, 18, good up-and-down on 2 - and it kept me going. I played well early, and it's all about keeping your momentum.''

He can only hope the momentum carries into the weekend, where Woods will have a chance to win for the third time this year and move atop the FedEx Cup standings for the first time this season.

This is his final tuneup before the British Open, and Woods won his previous two tournaments before majors, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial, hosted by Jack Nicklaus.

It would be a peculiar hat trick if he were to win all three PGA Tour events where the host is a player - in this case, himself.

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