Golf | Tiger Woods, Nick Watney are tied for lead in China

SHANGHAI, China — The gallery kept growing until it stretched along more than 600 yards of the eighth hole at Sheshan International. It took a little longer before top-ranked Tiger Woods gave the fans what they came to see Friday in the HSBC Champions.

Losing patience with each missed putt, Woods knocked in a 10-foot birdie on the ninth hole and was on his way. With five birdies over the final 10 holes, he pieced together another 5-under-par 67 and surged into a share of the 36-hole lead with Nick Watney in a World Golf Championship event with a distinctive American flavor. Seven of the top nine players on the leaderboard are from the United States.

Woods and Watney (70) were at 10-under 134, one stroke ahead of Ryan Moore (69) of Puyallup, Phil Mickelson (66) and Alvaro Quiros (66) of Spain.

Moore made an 8-foot eagle putt on the 18th and finished his round at No. 9 by chipping in for a birdie. He shot a 66 in the first round.

Woods missed six birdie chances inside 20 feet and was growing increasingly agitated until one putt on the ninth changed his outlook.

"It certainly was a little bit frustrating, but the guys weren't running off and hiding, either," Woods said. "I knew if I could just play the back nine at 3-under par ... I figured that would probably be a pretty good number. And I did a couple better than that."

Mickelson chipped in for a birdie on the 15th and recovered from a poor tee shot with an unlikely birdie on the 16th. After trying to play short off the tee on the 288-yard hole and hitting a hybrid into a bunker, Mickelson faced an awkward distance and a slightly plugged lie in the sand. He blasted a pitching wedge to 12 feet and made another birdie.

"One of the best shots I hit all day," Mickelson said.

Even in a World Golf Championship with players from 23 countries — the most diverse field for this series — Woods and Mickelson have been the attractions at the biggest tournament in Asian golf.

Woods came to China in 2001 for an exhibition and remains a favorite.

Mickelson won the HSBC Champions two years ago and has impressed the Chinese off the course, too, by speaking of a responsibility to play in Asia to help grow the game and talking up the two golf-course projects he has in the country, including one in Kunming with a par-3 course that he hopes will attract children.

"This is my third year here, and I've seen a great increase in the number of people that have come out to watch, as well as the excitement level," Mickelson said.

Lang leads Mizuno

SHIMA, Japan — American Brittany Lang shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Nobuko Kizawa of Japan and Hee Young Park of South Korea after the first round of the Mizuno Classic.

Lang, a long-hitting former Duke standout who is winless in four seasons on the LPGA Tour, had an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole.

Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa of Mexico was at 71.

Jimin Kang, a graduate of King's High School in Shoreline, shot a 76.