GREENSBORO (North Carolina) • Tiger Woods fired his lowest round in two years on Thursday, launching his quest for a place in the FedExCup play-offs with a sparkling six-under 64 at the Wyndham Championship.

The American, who missed the cut at last week's PGA Championship, finished with seven birdies and a bogey at Greensboro's Sedgefield Country Club.

It was his lowest on the PGA Tour since a second-round, nine-under 61 at the 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

It was also his best score in an opening round in three years. The round left him two off the lead, behind William McGirt, Erik Compton and Tom Hoge, all on 62.

Victory for Woods, playing the Wyndham Championship for the first time, would guarantee him a spot in the first leg of the four-tournament play-offs, although a solo second-place finish could also be enough to elevate him into the top 125 players eligible for the post-season.

"I felt very good out there," he said. "I hit a lot of good iron shots, made some putts, a round that probably could have been two to four-under par turned into six."

He insisted that despite his disappointing performance at Whistling Straits he had always believed a return to form was within reach.

"I know it's crazy to say but I wasn't playing that poorly at the PGA," he said. "Today I felt the rhythm of the round and felt that I was starting to feel the numbers, hitting the ball right on the number, the right shape, hold the ball on the hills on tee shots. I was getting into the flow of the round."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP
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