Tiger Woods Tied for BMW Championship Lead After Shooting 62 in Round 1

Tiger Woods is tied for the lead in the 2018 BMW Championship after shooting an eight-under 62 in the first round Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

Woods, who posted a blistering six-under 29 over his first nine holes of the tournament, tallied an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey on his Round 1 scorecard. It was enough to place him level with Rory McIlroy atop the leaderboard.

The 14-time major champion entered the season's penultimate event 25th in the FedEx Cup Playoffs standings. A victory is currently projected to move him into fifth place ahead of the Tour Championship.

Woods has showcased all three elements of top form at times throughout the 2018 PGA Tour season: strong play off the tee, elite iron play and red-hot putting.

He's rarely put them all together on the same day, though. That changed Thursday.

The 42-year-old fan favorite found 64.3 percent of the fairways, a tremendous 88.9 percent of the greens in regulation and gained 2.3 strokes with his putter. He was locked in right away with a birdie on the 10th, his first hole of the day, and never faltered despite the hot and humid conditions.

His terrific all-around performance was on full display en route to an eagle at the 16th:

Most notably, Tiger's decision to return his Scotty Cameron putter to his bag paid immediate dividends as he appeared far more comfortable than with the mallet and other blade styles he'd tried in recent events.

His only bogey of the day came on the long par-three eighth. His tee shot, which came after a 15-minute delay because of slow play in front of his group, was well left of the green. The ensuing chip from the rough left him a 15-foot putt to save par that burned the left edge.

He bounced back with a birdie on the ninth to finish the day.

Justin Ray of Golf Channel and ESPN Stats and Info provided notes about the 62:

Here's a look at more highlights from Woods' opening round:

Looking ahead, stringing together four straight good rounds is a test Tiger hasn't been able to pass throughout the year, which is why he remains winless despite several forays into contention. His last triumph came in the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational.

He's put himself in an ideal position at the BMW Championship with his outstanding first round. All eyes will be on him Friday to see if he can back it up with another low score at Aronimink.