Late slip annoys Poulter

Poulter: Late wobble

First round scores:
US unless stated
68 Zach Johnson, Ian Poulter (Eng)
69 Padraig Harrington (Ire)
70 Jim Furyk, Yang Yong-Eun (Kor), Stewart Cink
71 Sean O'Hair, Lee Westwood (Eng), Steve Stricker, Graeme McDowell (N Ire), Anthony Kim
72 Justin Leonard, Kenny Perry
73 Camilo Villegas (Col), Mike Weir (Can), Martin Kaymer (Ger)
74 Lucas Glover
75 Paul Casey (Eng)

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• EuroTour Schedule
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Ian Poulter gave up a two-shot lead at the final hole to slip into a tie with Zach Johnson after the first round of the Chevron World Challenge.

The 18-man tournament, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, is without its host for a second year in succession following the aftermath of Friday's car crash.

Ticket-holders for the event at Sherwood Country Club in California were offered refunds, but those who chose to stay saw Englishman Poulter get to six under par before carding a double bogey at the last following a wayward drive.

"It's four under par and I'm disappointed," said Poulter, who began with five birdies in eight holes.

"Yeah I'm leading but I should have been way clear. I'm hitting my irons very, very well and I'm driving the ball in position. I'm giving myself a lot of chances.

"This is week six in a row for me so maybe a little bit of concentration slipping out there on the golf course might be the reason why I made three three-putts today."

Dropped shots

New European number one Lee Westwood joined his countryman in the lead at five under par for a short time, but dropped four shots coming home and matched Poulter's six at the 18th.

"I played pretty well around the front nine, it's just a shame I didn't finish it off," he said.

"I left a lot of good shots out there and if you get bad shots out there it's going to penalise you.

"So I got what I deserved in the end with a double bogey at the last."

Poulter and Johnson are a stroke ahead of Padraig Harrington, who opened with a 69 to finish a stroke in front of Americans Jim Furyk and Stewart Cink and South Korean Yang Yong-eun.

Paul Casey, playing only his third tournament since the start of August because of a niggling rib injury, brought up the rear with a 75.