Kuchar, who won the opening FedEx Cup playoff event to position himself for the $10 million bonus, wasted no time putting his name atop the leaderboard. He finished with an 18-foot birdie putt for a 7-under 64 and a one-shot lead over Ryan Moore.

Ian Poulter of England, who has finished in the top 10 only once since winning the Match Play Championship in February, had a 66 for the best round of the afternoon despite opening with a double bogey.

Woods also started with a double bogey, but he never got those shots back.

With one last bogey on the 18th hole, he wound up with a 73 to leave himself in a big hole as he tries to advance to the final stage of the playoffs in Atlanta. It was his highest round at Cog Hill since he opened with a 73 in the 2005 Western Open. It also ended a streak of 11 consecutive rounds in the 60s on the public course in the Chicago suburbs where he has won five times.

Woods is No. 51 in the FedEx Cup standings, and the top 30 make it to the Tour Championship. He likely needs to finish around fifth place this week to go to East Lake in Atlanta.
 

In Hilversum, Netherlands,  Todd Hamilton shot a second round 3-under 67 at the Dutch Open Friday to move to 7 under and put pressure on first round leader Nicolas Colsearts.

Hamilton, a 44-year-old American who won the 2004 British Open at Royal Troon, lost his full playing rights on the US PGA Tour last year before moving to the European Tour.

“There have not been too many back-to-back good rounds for me in the last two or three years,” said Hamilton who had shot an opening 66 at Hilversumche Golf Club on Thursday.

“I have not played very well and when I got to the course I found that it was not the type I really enjoy playing. It is a tree lined and you have to drive the ball well which is not what I have been doing recently. I thought I would struggle.”

Colsearts held the first-round lead after an opening 8-under 62.

Hamilton is one shot ahead of Martin Kaymer, the young German who will make his Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor next month.

Kaymer shot a second straight 67 to move to 6 under.

He was joined in second place by Joost Luiten of the Netherlands who shot 69.

Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson, who both shot 68, were a shot further back at 5 under.

A late birdie spared Francesco Molinari, another European Ryder Cup team member, the embarrassment of missing the cut. He was 1-under par after a 1-over 71.