Woods makes himself at home at East Lake

Despite two years apart, Tiger Woods resumed his bromance with East Lake Golf Club without a single awkward moment Thursday.

East Lake continued to give him the straightforward layout that so suits the classicist in Woods. He in return gave it an afternoon of crowd-pleasing golf, as he shot a 4-under 66, tying Justin Rose for the first-round lead of the Tour Championship. It was, all in all, one long 18-hole bearhug.

Woods’ resume at this place is unmatched. Winner of the first FedEx Cup here in 2007, having finished no worse than second in his past four tournaments at East Lake (he was a combined 47 under par), he couldn’t be more comfortable here if he played in a robe and slippers.

Woods was busy repairing his life and his game the past two years and missed out on the 2010 and ’11 Tour Championships. He returned playing with just the kind of controlled excellence — jumping on the two par-5s, hitting 10 of 14 fairways, taking 26 putts, the second fewest in the field — that is appreciated here. On the second hole, he confidently began walking behind a 21-foot birdie putt almost as soon as he struck it, and continued with the bravado the rest of the day.

Face it, there are a lot of tracts Woods has brought to heel. A select few, though, he will rank as special because they appeal to his golfing soul, as a 1965 Mustang does to someone with a taste for cars.

“I’ve had a few courses that fit my eye, but they’re all very different,” Woods said Thursday. “You’ve got Torrey Pines, Firestone, Muirfield, here, Augusta. They’re all very different golf courses, and I’ve played well on them quite a few times.

“I think it’s just that I prefer the old, traditional golf courses like this. Trouble is right there in front of you. It’s very simple, but it’s hard.”

If the Tour Championship ended Thursday, there not only would be a lot of angry weekly badge holders, but Woods also would claim the FedEx Cup $10 million bonus. He entered as one of the top five in points who could avoid any complex mathematics and win the FedEx Cup by winning this last tournament in the playoff series. Woods has no interest in looking for a back door to the title. Summoning his inner Al Davis, he outlined his strategy as: “Just win. Winning takes care of everything.”

The others among the Automatic Five — save Nick Watney, who had the day’s high round of 75 — still are in contention for the eight-figure payoff. Brandt Snedeker (68), Rory McElroy (69), and Phil Mickelson (69) all shot on the profitable side of par.

Rose, who began the Tour Championship ranked 24th in FedEx Cup points, made the day’s biggest move with his 66. His round was punctuated by a 50-foot birdie putt on the difficult par-3 18th that bent more than a politician responding to poll data. But he would require so much calamity to strike the players in front of him that he acknowledged that winning the FedEx Cup at this point would be like “stealing it.”

Paired with Woods, the world’s No. 1 McIlroy did not exactly intimidate with his play Thursday. It was his first competitive round at East Lake and while he said there “is not really much course knowledge or local knowledge needed,” McIlroy did not exactly seem at home hitting from the Bermuda rough or fully in sync with the speed of the greens.

Nevertheless, he said, “I’m in good position going into [Friday]. I’ll just go out there tomorrow and give it my best again.” Given the good play of those near him in the Cup standings, McIlroy cannot go into a prevent defense this weekend.

Rather than seem intimidated by McIlroy — as Greg Norman suggested he was earlier this week — Woods was thoroughly comfortable in his company. The two strolled down every fairway chatting like a couple of insurance agents playing in the firm’s annual scramble.

“A great atmosphere, a great buzz. I just wish I could have shot a couple shots better,” McIlroy said.

“I enjoy playing with Rory. He’s a great kid,” said Woods, who trades in the Northern Irishman for the English Rose in the final pairing Friday.

Everything about the day suited Woods. Another reason he may perform so well at East Lake is the format of the Tour Championship. The small field of 30, broken into twosomes, encourages a quick pace that keeps Woods engaged.

“Rory and I were talking about that out there today,” Woods said. “It’s so nice to be able to play like this. We wish every tournament had this kind of pace of play, where we can get up and just play. No one enjoys playing six hours out there.”