After opening round, it's like old times at Firestone

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

AKRON, Ohio -- We used to call them the Big Five. Well, Tiger Woods was "the" one, but Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh were all winning with great consistency, too.

We expected them to challenge Woods, and sometimes, they delivered. Where they once ranked 1-5 in the Official World Golf Ranking, though, only No. 2 Mickelson, a two-time winner this year, and Els, who stands fifth, remain to join the game's undisputed best player in that most upper of echelons.

Singh, who hasn't won in 18 months after capturing 16 titles in the previous four years, has fallen to 15th in the world. Goosen's descent has been even more dramatic and the South African, a two-time U.S. Open champion but winless since 2005, now stands 39th.

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Phil Mickelson is off to a solid start at Firestone after a 2-under 68.

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After Thursday's first round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, it was like old times. Not turn-back-the-clock-Greg-Norman-like times, but a significant shift, just the same.

Granted, Woods, who had made Firestone Country Club his own personal playground with six wins, was absent after reconstructive knee surgery last month. The other four, though, find themselves in contention with Goosen leading the way -- and the tournament -- at 4 under.

Singh is among players tied at 67, one stroke off the lead he could have held alone had it not been for that double on the 18th hole. Mickelson is knotted with 13 others at 2 under and Els is in a logjam of 14 after shooting 69.

Mickelson, who has won three majors and THE PLAYERS Championship since 2004, attributes their collective showing to the way Firestone is set up this year. The greens are as slick as ever, but the rough tops out at about 2 1/2 inches as compared with last year's substantial growth that crept up the calves.

"I think that when the course is set up like this you have a chance to recover and hit shots and be creative, and that gives the top players an opportunity to showcase their talents, I feel," Mickelson said.

His contemporaries were clearly energized by the resurgence as well.

Goosen said Firestone was playing longer than he had ever seen it with the fairways, damp from Wednesday's rain, allowing little roll. At the same time, though, the course was more playable since the rough is less penal and the soft greens receptive to the well-placed approach.

The quiet South African tied for second at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship in March, but hasn't finished higher than 14th in any other event this year. He's been working diligently with Gregor Jamieson to get his backswing in line at the top and the two days he spent with his instructor in Orlando earlier this week appear to have paid off.

Goosen got to Akron at noon on Wednesday, and due to the rains, he didn't even have time for a practice round. The round of 66 was two off his best ever here, though, and he was solid on all counts -- hitting 9 of 14 fairways, all but four greens and using just 28 putts.

"We're slowly getting (my swing) to where we want it to be, just a matter of getting out there and playing," said Goosen, who has also dropped 18 pounds since the first of the year. "Everything is starting to fall together. My putting is a little bit better, I think, as well."

Goosen's countryman, Els, on the other hand, battled a balky flat stick Thursday, missing a 5-footer for par at the sixth hole that brought some demons back and taking 32 in all. But the two-time U.S. Open champ hit nine of 14 fairways and all but three greens to give him further confidence in the work he's doing with Butch Harmon.

"If I can get that putter going and keep hitting good shots, (I'll be OK,)" said Els, who ended a four-year victory drought earlier this year at The Honda Classic. "You know, this golf course is going to give you some and going to take a lot away.

"Just keep shooting in the 60s this week and I think we'll go close."

Singh's winless streak has only topped out at 16 months and to be fair, he has five top-10s this year, including a playoff loss to Steve Lowery at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. In recent months, though, the 45-year-old who works out with a vengence had been nursing a pulled muscle in his stomach and some "issues" with his shoulder, as well.

"Last time when I played over here it was Hartford (where he finished fifth), and we had that great weather at the British," Singh said. "But I took a lot of time off and worked on my game a little bit and got my body a little more rested and played well today.

The big Fijian has started using the belly putter again and with the exception that three-putt at the 18th hole, it's been working well. Singh missed his first fairway of the day at that hole, too, as he tried to play to the fat side of the fairway only to come off his driver and find the right rough.

"I went back to the belly putter and felt a lot more comfortable, so now I'm just going to focus on that more than anything else," said Singh, who needed just 29 putts on Thursday. "I've been changing putters back and forth and really not getting any consistency out of it. I worked very hard on the putter, and I feel a good rhythm coming with it.

"So that's my key, I think, this week is to putt well.