POI'PU BEACH, Kaua'i —Tiger Woods said he started "letting it go" after a queasy start in more ways than one with bogeys in two of his first three holes.

He was talking about his driver as he unloaded nine drives of 300 yards or more en route to a 5-under 67 and a three-stroke lead in quest of his sixth PGA Grand Slam of Golf title today at the Po'ipu Bay Golf Course.

But Woods, suffering from a stomach virus, also let it all out in a way that University of Hawai'i football fans are very familiar with.

Let's put it this way — if UH quarterback Colt Brennan, who has vomited during games, isn't a Tiger Woods fan, he should be.

"It was very interesting starting out. I didn't feel all that good and bogeyed the first hole," Woods said. "By the time I teed off on the second hole, by the time I hit my second shot, I was a little bit lighter and a little more streamlined and lost weight. My abs got a good workout there in the bushes (behind the first green)."

Nobody was feeling sorry for Tiger.

Not Phil Mickelson, who shot a 70 after sharing the lead only to get back-to-back bogeys at the 16th and 17th holes.

"There's an old saying: Beware of the ailing golfer," Mickelson said. "Whenever he's complaining, we know we're in trouble."

Not Michael Campbell, who earned a ticket to the $1 million event by winning the U.S. Open. Bogeying three of his last four holes left him at 73.

"He's for the mind of obviously a wonderful champion," Campbell said. "I knew, Vijay knew and Phil knew that once he gets over the stomach bug or whatever he's for, he's going to come out and play well, and he did."

Not Vijay Singh, who said he shot pretty decent except for two holes.

One of them was the par-3 11th where he put two into the water and took a quadruple-bogey 7 that left him with a 75.

"Tiger just won in Japan (laughing). So it's not surprising he's going to play well. You know, maybe if he wasn't throwing up, he probably would have drove everything out there."

Once his stomach settled, Woods played lights-out golf, birdieing the fifth and sixth holes. His last bogey of the day came at the par-3 seventh.

"Tiger drove the ball beautifully today. I've got to play a great round tomorrow (to catch him)," Singh said.

Woods, who won the event five straight years from 1998 through 2002 but didn't have a chance to extend his streak when his run on golf's majors hit a two-year snag, found his way back by winning the Masters and the British Open.

Today's champion of champions earns $400,000, while the runner-up gets $250,000, third place $200,000 and fourth $150,000.