Woods off and running in Charlotte

Tiger Woods finished with a flourish to establish a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte.

The 33-year-old birdied six of his last nine holes on his way to a seven-under-par 65.

Steve Marino, Phil Mickelson, Jason Dufner and Robert Allenby are tied for second on five under.

Retief Goosen, Jeff Maggert, Hunter Mahan and Lucas Glover sit in a group tied for sixth, one shot further back at four under.

"I hit a couple loose shots here and there but I putted really well," said Woods, who finished sixth at The Masters last month.

"I had a couple of key saves, made a nice little up-and-down at two and just a really good save at four that kept the round going. It's always nice when you birdie the last three."

Defending champion Anthony Kim and Masters winner Angel Cabrera began with opening rounds of 70, while Ireland's Padraig Harrington and England's Ross Fisher finished at one over, a shot clear of Justin Rose.