AKRON, Ohio — Tiger Woods said he felt he played well enough yesterday to score in the mid-60s and take a comfortable lead into the weekend at the NEC Invitational. One hole changed everything but his outlook.

Woods' 8-iron shot caromed off a tree and 20 yards to the right. From there, a 7-iron bounded through the green and into deep rough. When he had finished chopping up the 18th hole, Woods shot an even-par 70 that dropped him into a share of the lead with Luke Donald.

Donald made three straight birdies early in his round and shot a 67, joining Woods at 4-under 136.

"I didn't shoot myself out of the tournament by making double, and that's a good thing," Woods said. "We've got a long way to go and I'm playing well, so I just need to keep doing what I'm doing."

Vijay Singh was tied for the lead at 5 under until he dumped his third shot into the water on the 667-yard 16th hole and had to chip with a fairway metal for a bogey. He spun his approach off the 17th green and failed to save par from 10 feet, and he nearly made it three straight bogeys until he escaped with a pitch to 4 feet on the last hole.

Singh shot a 71 and was at 3-under 137. Henrik Stenson, PGA runner-up Thomas Bjorn, Paul McGinley and Chris DiMarco were tied with Singh.

PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson had a 72 and was at 141.

Woods was playing so solidly, it looked as though he might not make any bogeys the entire tournament. His driving was excellent for most of the round, and par was often the worst he could do.

Woods' tee shot on No. 18 went into the trees to the right, but he saw what he thought was plenty of room to run an 8-iron up the fairway toward the green.

"It was an easy shot, like shooting a pea into the ocean," he said.

"It's easier to come back and to go forward," Woods said. "A bunch of guys are right there, so I've got to play solidly, and this time do it for 18 holes."

Donald had birdies after a 6-iron shot that ended up 6 feet from the hole on the 14th and a 5-iron shot off the tee to 5 feet on the par-3 15th. "I like firm and fast," he said of the course conditions.

Other tournaments

• Defending champion Vaughn Taylor shot a 67 to take the second-round lead at the Reno-Tahoe Open in Nevada with a 13-under 131, a tournament record. Bill Glasson shot a course-record 62 to move into contention.

Todd Fischer was second at 12 under, two shots ahead of Glasson in the PGA Tour event.

• Rookie Sung Ah Yim and Soo-Yun Kang each shot 8-under 64 for a one-shot lead over Rosie Jones and defending champ Hee-Won Han after the first round of the Safeway Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland.

Yim, a 21-year-old from South Korea, had six birdies on the front nine at the LPGA Tour event.