Tiger up front; Casas trails by 5 strokes

In probably his most impressive start in a tough, star-studded international competition, Cassius Casas fired a three-under par 69 yesterday to trail world No. 1 Tiger Woods and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn by five strokes in the rich Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates.

Three birdies in the last six holes turned what had appeared to be a shaky windup into an explosive finish as the top Filipino shotmaker recovered from a double-bogey mishap on the par 4 No. 12 to find himself tied for 16th place.

Casas, who missed the cut in last week’s Singapore Masters, rammed down back-to-back birdies from No. 5, got slowed down by a bogey on the seventh but fought back with another birdie on the par 5 10th. But that six on No. 12 slowed down the dusky Casas, who birdied Nos. 13, 16 and 17 with remarkable resolve.

He emerged the top Asian after 18 holes of the $1.5-million event which finally got underway after a two-hour fog delay with Woods, hardpressed to score his first victory this year after a run of frustrating campaigns, going to work early by shooting a 64.

Woods and Bjorn shared the early first-round lead by shooting eight-under-par cards on a still, warm day on the Arabian peninsula.

The lush fairways, true-rolling greens and the dry desert air left the 7,127-yard Majlis Course ripe for picking by the two Ryder Cup players, who both had bogey-free rounds.

Woods went 8-under on the final hole, dropping a 20-foot (6-meter) putt for a birdie followed by a clinched right fist and a crowd-waving stroll to the hole.

Little-known Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara was 8-under after 17 holes but landed his second shot in a palm tree and closed with a double bogey. This is Lara’s first full-time year on the European Tour and he has career earning of only 20,000 pounds ($30,000).

He finished with 6-under 66 to tie Ireland’s Padraig Harrington.

"I was a little bit nervous because I wanted to bite Tiger for the first time - or for one time," said the 23-year-old Spaniard.

"It’s not the first time I’ve landed in a palm, but the most important time. It’s the most important double-bogey of my short European career."

Woods had a horse named for him on Wednesday - "Dubai Tiger" - by the world’s richest thoroughbred owner, Dubai Crown Prince Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The early lead could help Woods end his so-called slump. He is winless this season in five tournament in the United States and has not finished in the top three.

"They don’t understand the game if they think it’s a slump," said Woods, who said his stroke average was identical to last year’s. Sure, some competitors are 5 yards (meters) longer off the tee and maybe some are no longer intimiated.

But Woods put it off to a lack of breaks, which he said he had last season, recounting how he "cold-cocked a kid in Canada and made birdie on the hole."

"It’s been a pretty good season so far," he said. "I’ feel like I’m close. I’ve given myself chances. Sometimes the breaks go your way, sometimes they don’t."