In his first tournament since his divorce, Tiger Woods finally looked like the No. 1 player in the world Thursday at The Barclays when he opened with a 6-under 65, his lowest score of the year, to share the lead with Vaughn Taylor. It was his first time leading after any round on the PGA Tour since the Tour Championship last September.

"It's exciting to hit the ball flush again," Woods said. "It's something I've been missing all year."

He didn't miss much at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. Woods hit all but one fairway and putted for birdie on all but two holes. And while he hit his driver only twice, they were two of his best shots of the day — including on the 291-yard fifth hole, where his drive landed pin-high and settled 15 feet away. Was it just a coincidence that his game showed up so soon after his marriage was dissolved?

"I can't really say that's the case," he said. "As far as golf, it was nice to put it together."

Woods and Taylor both played in the morning, when the greens were smooth and the conditions were only breezy. They had a one-shot lead over Adam Scott, Brian Gay and Ryan Palmer. Scott played in the afternoon, when a gust of wind played tricks on him at the final hole and led to a bogey.

The last time Woods was atop the leader board after any round of any tournament was when he won the Australian Masters on Nov. 15, less than two weeks before his life caved in on him — the car crash after Thanksgiving night, details of adultery, five months away from the game and a broken marriage, which officially ended Monday.

His golf hasn't been very good either, which is why Woods began the FedEx Cup playoffs 112th out of 125 players who qualified. He was so low on the list that he was first to tee off under a sunny sky at Ridgewood, the first time he's done that in his PGA Tour career. It worked to his advantage.

"With fresh greens, everybody in our group was making putts on the front nine," Woods said. "You had to get it today."

And he did. The 65 was his lowest score in 46 rounds, dating to a 62 in the BMW Championship last year.

St. X's Thomas ousted

St. Xavier senior Justin Thomas came up just short in a wild match against his future Alabama teammate in the second round of the U.S. Amateur on Thursday.

Tide sophomore Scott Strohmeyer beat Thomas in 19 holes at Chambers Bay Golf Course after blowing a four-hole lead going into the back nine.

Thomas, who made the cut in a PGA Tour event last summer and has committed to play at Alabama, fought back to all-square on No. 16. Then Strohmeyer won the 17th but bogeyed 18 to send it to extra holes. The two went back to the first tee to settle the match, and Strohmeyer parred to edge Thomas, who bogeyed. Strohmeyer will tee off in the Round of 16 against the defending U.S. Amateur Champion, Byeong-Hun An of Berkeley, Calif.

Finch leads Johnnie Walker

Richard Finch of England shot a 6-under 66 to lead the Johnnie Walker Championship in Gleneagles, Scotland, after the opening round. Finch is looking to end a two-year drought since winning twice in 2008, at the New Zealand Open and Irish Open.