Stricker & Furyk Lead at the Deutsche Bank Championship

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Golf writer Andy Reistetter is on-site at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., providing daily reports covering the action in and outside the ropes.

Having attended the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Honda Classic, WGC-CA Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, Masters Tournament, Verizon Heritage, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, THE PLAYERS Championship, U.S. Open at Bethpage, AT&T National, British Open at Turnberry, PGA at Hazeltine and The Barclays last week, this is Andy's 14th event of the season.   

Here are his notes from the first round on Friday, Sept. 4.

Well surprise, surprise! Look who last week's playoff winner Heath Slocum was paired with today in the first round off the 10th tee at 8:40 a.m. on a picture-perfect early September day in the Northeast?

The two guys who failed to make a putt on the 18^thgreen to force a playoff with him: five-time winner on the PGA TOUR this year—though "Majorless"—Tiger Woods and the winner of the first PGA TOUR Playoff event two years ago at the Barclays and two-time winner this year Steve Stricker.

Slocum's 2-under 69 beat the inaugural 2007 FedExCup Champion Woods' 70, but was trumped heavily by Stricker's eight-birdie bogeyless 8-under 63.

Last week's new golf course on the PGA TOUR- Liberty National leveled the playing field for Slocum's unlikely upset victory.

For Woods, last week was a week of poor putting and a week of dodging the media inquisition into his failure to continue an impressive 14 for 14 streak of winning Majors when it counted leading after three rounds.

This week it is neither, as he succinctly made a statement at the start of his post-round interview:   

"I didn't really do much of anything positively today. I didn't feel good over any shot today and didn't drive it very good, hit my irons worse and didn't make any putts. Other than that, it was a good day."

Was Woods distracted in any way by Stricker's impressive play?

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