PARAMUS, N.J. – Yes, that really is Tiger Woods’ name atop the leader board.

In his first tournament since his divorce, Woods finally looked like the No. 1 player in the world Thursday at the Barclays when he opened with a 6-under 65, his lowest score of the year, to share the lead with Vaughn Taylor. It was his first time leading after any round on the PGA Tour since the Tour Championship last September.

“It’s exciting to hit the ball flush again,” Woods said. “It’s something I’ve been missing all year.”

He didn’t miss much at Ridgewood Country Club. Woods hit all but one fairway and putted for birdie on all but two holes. And while he hit his driver only twice, they were two of his best shots of the day – including on the 291-yard fifth hole, where his drive landed pin-high and settled 15 feet away.

Was it just a coincidence that his game showed up so soon after his marriage was dissolved?

“I can’t really say that’s the case,” he said. “As far as golf, it was nice to put it together.”

Woods and Taylor both played in the morning, when the greens were smooth and the conditions were only breezy. They had a one-shot lead over Adam Scott, Brian Gay and Ryan Palmer. Scott played in the afternoon, where a gust of wind played tricks on him at the final hole and led to bogey.

Woods began the FedEx Cup playoffs 112th out of 125 players who qualified. He was so low down the list that he was first to tee off under a sunny sky at Ridgewood, the first time he’s done that in his PGA Tour career.

It worked to his advantage.

“With fresh greens, everybody in our group was making putts on the front nine,” Woods said. “You had to get it today.”

And he did. The 65 was his lowest score in 46 rounds, dating to a 62 in the BMW Championship last year. Taylor grinned when asked if he was surprised to see Woods’ name on the leader board.

“Somewhat, you know?” he said.

“It’s good to see him back up top.”

With sunshine and a light breeze, conditions were ripe for scoring. Palmer had a chance to join the leaders until a three-putt bogey on the 18th put him at 66. Even though the greens became bumpy in the afternoon after so much foot traffic, the course was soft enough to allow for good scores. There were 14 players who shot 67, including Davis Love III, defending champion Heath Slocum and Stewart Cink.

Phil Mickelson, with his ninth chance in the last four months to replace Woods at No. 1 in the world, made only one birdie for a 72.

Only the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings advance to the second round of the playoffs next week in the Deutsche Bank Championship. Woods at least needs to make the cut, then finish in the middle of the pack. He had a better solution.

U.S. AMATEUR: After three rounds of match play, defending U.S. Amateur champ Byeong-Hun An has yet to play either the 17th or 18th holes at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.

An rolled into the quarterfinals of the 110th Amateur with a pair of impressive victories. An’s day started with a 4 and 3 victory over Alex Shi Yup Kim in the morning. After a brief break and with the winds picking up, An beat Alabama’s Scott Strohmeyer 3 and 2.

An now gets someone he’ll soon become quite familiar with: California teammate Max Homa, who routed Carter Newman 7 and 6 in the morning then reached the quarterfinals with a 4 and 3 win over Harris English.

Today’s other quarterfinals are filled with intrigue. David Chung, the winner of the Western Amateur, rallied from 2 down early to beat Brad Benjamin 2 and 1. He’ll get reigning NCAA champ Scott Langley, who finally didn’t need extra holes to advance.

LPGA: Michelle Wie had the second hole-in-one of her professional career on the way to a 7-under 65 and a three-shot lead after the first round of the CN Canadian Women’s Open in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Former Fort Wayne resident Amanda Blumenherst shot a 5-over 77.