Tiger Woods shines in Philly

Tiger Woods shot his lowest opening round since 1999 at the BMW Championship, but still has to share the lead with Rory McIlroy.

Both players shot an eight under par 62 in Philadelphia, but it was Woods who grabbed most of the headlines with his opening nine 29 as his remarkable return to top level golf continues.

Woods hit a 61 at the 1999 Byron Nelson Classic and his round on Thursday proves he is back to his best with the Ryder Cup fast approaching, justifying Jim Furyk’s decision to hand him a wildcard.

“To shoot 29 on the front nine helps. It helps a lot,” Woods said.

Woods also admits his decision to skip Wednesday’s pro-am event paid off, even though he was reluctant to do so.

“I needed it,? he added. “I really did. I?ve played a lot of golf in the last six weeks, and I needed a day off to recover and make sure I was fresh today.?

?I wanted to manage it, and I?m disappointed I didn?t play in the pro-am,? he said. ?But then again, it was the best thing for me.?

American Xander Schauffele sits one shot behind the pair on seven under par, while Billy Horschel, Peter Uihlein, Justin Thomas and Alex Noren are on six under.