Tiger's on the prowl, but it's misery for sad Monty

So much for the idea put about by some players that he must have signed a pact with the devil in exchange for that putting stroke. A direct line to the man upstairs, more like.

Woods doesn't lead after the first round of the CA Championship. But he did enough to nurture the familiar feeling that the men occupying that position, Australian Geoff Ogilvy and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, are runners on the first lap holding the baton.

The former U.S. Open champion and the veteran Ryder Cup warrior are one shot ahead of in-form American Stewart Cink. Then comes Woods, seeking an eighth consecutive win, among a veritable cavalcade on five under that includes world No 5 Adam Scott from Australia and world No 2 Phil Mickelson. The latter was the last man to beat Woods in a tournament, six-and-a-half months ago.

Cast your eyes down the leaderboard and you have to get almost to the end of the line before you reach the name of Colin Montgomerie. One of the Scot's favourite sayings is that tournaments can only be lost on the first day, never won.

After a dreadful 75, it wasn't only this event that headed west but surely his dream of playing in the Masters, too. Needing a top-four finish to earn a last-minute invitation to Augusta, it seems almost cruel to point out he is currently in the bottom four.

Among the eight-strong English contingent there were any number of encouraging performances. Indeed, if Paul Casey had not double bogeyed the last for a regulation mark 72, all of them would have finished under par. Pride of place, though, has to go to Wentworth man Ross Fisher, who matched the 68 carded by fellow Englishman Luke Donald.

This is Fisher's first world golf championship event and what a start he made. Playing one group in front of Woods, he smashed his drive 331 yards on the opening par five and followed it with a mid-iron from 192 yards to 5ft, before rolling in the eagle putt. Welcome to the big time, Ross.

It might not have got more exciting than that. Indeed, there was a slightly deflating bogey at the last. But he wasn't about to lose perspective. After all, don't forget this is the unassuming man who got a helping hand thanks to a golf scholarship from the Surrey club.

'I feel very privileged to be here and a 68 is a pleasing start,' said the 27-year-old. 'I pat myself on the back for making it this far in my career but now it's time to kick on and build on my encouraging start.'

For Donald, this was more like the player who registered top-three finishes in his first two American events before slipping up at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

There were encouraging rounds of 70 from Nick Dougherty and Justin Rose, who is looking to gather momentum following his quiet start to the season and peak for the Masters. Rose feels he is not far away from his best form and it looked that way as he birdied four of his first 10 holes to be among the leaders.

In that context, a two-under-par 70 was disappointing and particularly the manner in which he responded to two dropped shots in a row from the 13th.

'I feel a bit hard done by given that my three birdie putts on 16, 17 and 18 all defied gravity and somehow stayed out of the hole,' he said. 'But the positive side is I can feel my game coming together and this was a good round from a mental standpoint.'

Dougherty brings his dancing shoes to Miami's South Beach twice a year and this round put a spring in his step as well.

'I love these tournaments because they are the closest thing we have to the majors, you can feel the extra excitement,' he said.

Hartlepool man Graeme Storm recovered from a slow start to post a 71 with three birdies in his last four holes and stand on the same mark as Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.

As for Casey, he was the Englishman in the eye of the storm given that he was playing with Woods and therefore in front of about 80 per cent of the first day's gallery.

The wonderfully gifted Casey often looks like he needs an injection of the intensity Woods brings to every round and he duly began with two successive birdies. But a tugged drive at the last found the water that wraps itself around this hole to spoil his good work. It meant he finished on the same mark as Ulsterman Graeme McDowell.