Tiger Woods took a share of the lead of the US PGA Championship with an excellent start in the opening round. The world No 1 made the longest course in the history of major tournaments look easy by posting four birdies in 12 holes.

Woods, who began on the back nine, birdied the par-four second hole and par-five third to reach four-under par through 13 holes at Hazeltine National. That put him level for the lead with Michael Bradley, of America, and Alvaro Quiros, of Spain.

Woods's playing partners Padraig Harrington, the defending champion from Ireland, and Rich Beem, the American veteran - who edged out Woods to win the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine - played the back nine at two-under par. Woods also made birdies on the par-four 12th and par-five 15th. Harrington birdied the 12th and 16th holes and was three-under through 12.

Quiros briefly seized the lead alone on four-under par having made four birides in his first eight holes, but stumbled back with a bogey at his ninth and then birdied his eleventh - the course second hole. A tournament debutante who missed the cut in the year's first three majors, the Spaniard birdied the 11th, the par-three 13th, 17th and the 16th.

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I have yet to be convinced that Harrington is not intimidated into losing his head by Woods

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Bradley birdied three holes in a row starting at the sixth to claim a share of the lead after 11 holes.

Robert Allenby, of Australia, birdied the par-five third and followed with birdies at the sixth and par-five seventh to claim a share of the early lead. He drew level with Woods with a birdie at 14 but fell back with a double bogey at 15. Allenby matched his best performance at a major with a share of seventh in last year's Open but has not won an event in the US since 2001.

Paul Casey, of England, withdrew on Thursday morning with a rib muscle strain. "I'm very disappointed but I have to look at the bigger picture," the world No 3 said. "I will play a lot more majors over my career. But it is very frustrating because standing there hitting easy golf swings, it's [the injury] not that bad."

Rory McIlroy made a strong start on his US PGA debut. The 20-year-old from Northern Ireland opened with a birdie at the par-four 10th and hit birdies at the par-four 14th and par-five 15th, making the turn at two under.

At 7,674 yards, the par-72 Hazeltine course is the longest ever for a major, with three of the four par-five holes measuring more than 600 yards. Tournament officials moved the tee up 30 yards at the par-three 13th to reduce it to 218 yards, and shortened the 518-yard par-four 12th to 501 yards but pushed tees back at the other par threes at the fourth, eighth and 17th.