Tiger a soul man on the course

Think of all the times you've seen Tiger Woods shake hands with his competitors after a round.

He doffs his cap like a gentleman, then offers his right hand for a respectful, conventional shake.

Not after the opening round of the BMW Championship on Thursday, in which Woods posted a 4-under-par 67 to sit 3 shots behind leader Jonathan Byrd.

Woods and Steve Stricker enjoyed each other's company so much on their breezy tour around Cog Hill that Woods engaged in, for lack of a better word, a soul handshake with the Madison, Wis., resident as well as his caddie, Tom Mitchell.

Huh?

"He needles me all the time and I needle him back all the time," Stricker said. "It was in good fun. He's just a good guy and it was a lot of fun to play with him.

The casual coda to their round served as just one of many ways in which Woods' day at Dubsdread represented a departure from previous years.

New tournament name.

New tournament dates.

New tournament format.

Far fewer fans chasing Tiger.

As the top three players in the FedEx Cup points standings -- at least among those who showed up for this tournament -- Woods, Stricker and K.J. Choi played in the same threesome and served as the marquee attraction.

But as the trio strolled up the No. 9 green to finish their round at 1 p.m., fans were lined up two- and three-deep at the most. Nobody fought to gain a sight line.

In the Western Open era, when the tournament was scheduled near the Fourth of July, thousands crawled across Cog Hill like ants every time Woods moved.

Woods didn't miss the usual attention, but he missed the usual raucous holiday vibe.

"Yeah, it's disappointing," he said. "There's a lot of sporting events going on. Obviously the date has changed. Kids are back in school. Families aren't coming out as much. It's a totally different atmosphere."

Actually, that might have worked to the benefit of Strickers and Choi.

They fired 68s as they didn't deal with the usual distractions that come with being Woods' partners.

"It wasn't a huge crowd," Stricker said. "It was a nice crowd. I tell you, we had a gas today. I hope he did, too."