Garcia sets early pace at Players Championship

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Spaniard Sergio Garcia reeled off four birdies in six holes on his way to an early two-stroke lead in the Players Championship first round on Thursday.

Seeking his first PGA Tour title in three years, Garcia fired a sparkling six-under-par 66 at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass to take control of the lucrative event widely regarded as the unofficial fifth major.

The 28-year-old, relieved to regain confidence in his putting, piled up seven birdies and a lone bogey to finish two ahead of Americans Kenny Perry and Paul Goydos.

Twice champion Steve Elkington of Australia opened with a 69 to lie three strokes off the pace, level with Britain's Ian Poulter and American Heath Slocum.

Garcia, runner-up at Sawgrass last year, launched his sizzling birdie run at the par-five 11th and holed a monster putt from 40 feet before reaching the turn in four-under 32.

He picked up further shots at the second and fifth before offsetting a three-putt bogey at the eighth with another birdie at the par-five ninth, his final hole.

"The greens were very nice, very quick but rolling very, very true," a smiling Garcia told reporters after totalling 29 putts. "If you managed to put some good rolls in there, you were going to make some putts.

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