Davis takes the lead, with Tiger lurking

LOS ANGELES - The shifting wind and gloomy rain gave the Nissan Open a distinctively British feel Thursday.

• Photos

So did the leaderboard.

Two months after finally earning his PGA Tour card by winning Q-school, Brian Davis of England opened with an eagle and finished with eight straight pars on his way to a 6-under 65 for the early lead at dreary Riviera Country Club.

Luke Donald of England and Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland were among those one shot behind.

Donald was tied for the lead until twice hitting into the bunker and making bogey on his last hole. Clarke had one of many highlights at Riviera with his 7-iron that skirted the edge of the bunker in the middle of the par-3 sixth green, then rolled down the slope and into the cup for an ace.

Brett Quigley made birdie on the 18th and also shot 66.

Two-time defending champion Mike Weir was at 5 under with three holes to play, a good start in his bid to become the first player to win the Nissan Open three straight times.

Tiger Woods three-putted for bogey three times, but still managed a 4-under 67 for his best start ever in the only tournament he played at least four times without winning. In his eighth start as a pro at the Nissan Open, Woods needs to finish no worse than fourth this week to reclaim No. 1 in the world ranking.

He wasn't all that impressed.

"I putted like a fool today," Woods said. "It was an absolutely horrific day on the greens. I probably could have shot an 8 under par with not too much effort."

The effort was figuring out the weather. The wind changed direction when the morning starters were about halfway through their rounds, then gave way to a cool, steady rain the rest of the afternoon.

It hardly mattered to Davis.

He hit 4-iron into 4 feet on the par-5 opening hole for eagle, picked up short birdies on the sixth and seventh, then hit a 4-iron into the uphill ninth to about 3 feet to make the burn in 30. Equally important to Davis was a 12-foot par save on the 15th, even though his round was almost over.

"I've played a lot of links golf, and if you drop a shot, you start fighting it," Davis said.

Donald only had to battle the rain, starting in the afternoon when Riviera played a little longer. He quickly made up ground with a pair of 30-foot birdie putts at Nos. 4 and 5, followed by a tee shot into 16 inches on the par-3 sixth.

Clarke had the only ace of the day, producing a cheer that could be heard from all corners of Riviera.

The only louder noise came from the ninth, where John Daly finished his round of 69 with an approach that landed some 20 feet behind the hole, spun down the slope and caught the right edge of the cup for an eagle.

Typical for Riviera, the classic course off Sunset Boulevard that puts a premium on shotmaking, no one was able to separate himself from the pack.

Adam Scott, Kevin Sutherland and Jose Coceres joined Woods at 67, while the large group at 68 included Jerry Kelly and Steve Elkington, who won the 1995 PGA Championship at Riviera in a playoff over Colin Montgomerie.

Davis was just happy to be here.

He first tried Q-school as an 18-year-old and played some of the smaller tours in the United States, then went back home to establish himself. Davis, 29, has won twice on the European tour and finished 31st on the money list last year.

Woods has been trying to win at Riviera since he first played here as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992. Coming off a victory three weeks ago at Torrey Pines, it doesn't look like his winter break brought much rust.

Woods opened with a beautiful flop shot to 5 feet, and a two-putt birdie from 15 feet. His round was otherwise solid, except for the three-putts - one of them went 6 feet long at No. 13, another was 4 feet short on No. 5. The third was from 75 feet just off the green at No. 4, ending on the fringe on the other side about 15 feet away.

He got the best end of the draw, before the wind picked up and the rain arrived.

"I just wish I could have capitalized a little more on that," he said.

Divots: David Duval hit the par-3 sixth green in regulation and two-putted for par, only it wasn't that simple. The bunker in the middle of the green was between his ball and the hole. Duval putted over the left fringe of the bunker, down the slope 10 feet past the cup, then made it coming back. He shot 33 on the back nine for a 74. It was his best opening round of the year by five shots.... Colin Montgomerie made his first PGA Tour start of the year and opened with an even-par 71.