Known as the mid-length wand, it delivered the desired putting magic for leader Paul Azinger on 66 and close challenger Vijay Singh on 67, in the opening round of the $6 million Players' Championship here on the Stadium Course yesterday. Indeed scoring was unusually good, with seven players carding 68 or better.

But Tiger Woods was not among them. Recent problems with the driver persisted when, in attempting to hold his drive onto a left-to-right crosswind at the last, he hooked it to a watery grave to run up a double-bogey six. So, an anticipated 70 became a 72.

Rain last weekend had done its work, dampening the fire in notoriously difficult greens, but this was countered somewhat by swirling winds which persisted throughout the day. And among the early starters, Padraig Harrington confirmed his growing stature in world golf with a splendid 70 for a share of 12th place in his first competitive round here.

There was little joy, however, for Darren Clarke, who attempted to put a brave face on a 75. Deep down he knew he had missed the opportunity of making his best start in four Players' appearances as his solitary birdie came at the long ninth, his last hole, where he pitched to 12 feet and holed the putt.

"From nine reasonable birdie chances, I converted only one," he said. "You can't afford not to take your chances on a course like this which is going to yield less and less as the week progresses." But at least he was there, unlike David Duval who had to withdraw with a recurrence of wrist problems.

Predictably, the short 17th produced its share of thrills, though the victims would hardly have seen things in that light. This is where the tee-shot is described as seven seconds of terror, because that's the time it takes from the ball leaving the clubface until it lands again, either on terra firma on in the water surrounding the island green.

At 137 yards into a left to right wind, it inflicted grievous pain on American journeyman Brian Henninger. Having started on the 10th, a birdie on the I6th brought Henninger to four under par for the round. But he left the 17th green a sorry man on level par, after depositing two balls to the deep while running up a seven.

Worst of the day was Woody Austin, who crashed to an eight there, en route to a 78. Even Woods was baffled. First, he chose a nine iron, then an eight iron, then returned to the nine iron. And by way of final compromise, he played the ball back in his stance to achieve a little extra distance - and was still short of the pin.

"It's difficult to trust your swing when the wind is swirling so much," said Woods. "You daren't be too aggressive. And I expect the course to become harder and harder as the week goes on."

In a long battle to regain former glory after cancer of the shoulder, Azinger turned to the mid-length putter before the start of last season. By positioning it against his stomach, he makes the same stroke as with an implement of standard length. And even after winning at Augusta, Singh was so impressed that he followed suit.

"I'm not counselling anybody how to use it," said the 1993 USPGA champion with a smile. "But guys are enquiring about it and Vijay asked me if he could try it out when we were at the Memorial last year."

In a bogey-free round, Azinger had two bursts of three birdies in-a-row, from the first to the third and from the eighth to the 10th, covering the front nine in 31 strokes in the process.

Meanwhile, Singh's performance was no more than we should have expected from a reigning US Masters champion. Though the elegant Fijian came here with only one top-10 finish in eight attempts at this championship, his confidence with the blade was transformed by success at Augusta last year.

"For years, we (he and his wife) would drive from home to Augusta and be excited," he said. "And driving back, it would end in frustration. I never thought I could putt those greens. But last year changed all that."

Now, with the mid-length blade, he expects to match the best putters on tour. Of yesterday's round he said: "I made the putts when I needed to make them."