Tiger Woods leads after the first round, after a smooth start on Thursday as he started his season at the Zozo Championship in Japan. Here's how it all unfolded at Narashino Country Club, where Woods's burning putter was scored 64 (-6) to share the lead with Gary Woodland:

Tiger Woods - © Alexi Orloff

Leaderboard: Tiger Woods (-6), Gary Woodland (-6), Hideki Matsuyama (-5), Daniel Berger (-3), Sung Kang (-3), Ryan Palmer (-3)

A first tour of anthology in 64 for Woods. After bogeying his first three holes and starting the back nine, Woods recorded nine birdies over his last 14 holes to post the best season opener of his career, surpassing his previous card of 66 at Torrey Pines in 2007. Woods also got Torrey a 67 to open the 2008 season. He won both events. Whether or not Woods wins this weekend, a performance like this Thursday might just be exactly what Woods needs to qualify for the Presidents Cup. Woodland, of course, also needs a new title. The US Open champion birdied the last hole to rob Woods of his first straight 18-hole lead since the 2009 PGA Championship.

Round of the day: After a rough start, Woods went on to birdie and said most of his birdie putts were left-to-right putts, although his 9-meter birdie on the seventh par-3 was not was not. Woods had two sets of three birdies in a row on his lap. Woodland's lap was less stressful, as he didn't commit any faults and birdie on each of the three par-5s.

Source: Golf Channel

To view the full Zozo Championship leaderboard: click here