AKRON, Ohio — Typical of most players coming off a major championship, Adam Scott felt as if he was on vacation at the Bridgestone Invitational.

He only played nine holes in a practice round and didn't grind as hard on the practice range. Even the first six holes he played in the first round Thursday were nothing special.

It all changed quickly, and Scott felt as if he was back at Medinah. Starting with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, the 26-year-old Australian ran off nine birdies over his final 12 holes for a 7-under 63, giving him a two-shot lead over Jason Gore and four shots clear of defending champion Tiger Woods.

"That was my hope coming into this week, to keep playing like I did last week," Scott said. "I just tried to keep working on the same stuff and got it going a little today. I hit a lot of good iron shots and really took the pressure off my putting by hitting them so close."

No one has played better the last two rounds.

Scott made a Sunday charge in the PGA Championship, closing with a 5-under 67 despite bogeys on two of the last three holes. But it was too late in the major, and he had no serious chance of catching Woods.

Four days later, he was nearly flawless off the tee and aggressive with his irons for a 63.

He played his best golf too late at Medinah. And they don't hand out trophies on Thursday at Firestone.

But he had few complaints with his start. The last player who opened with a 63 at Firestone was Stewart Cink in 2004, and he wound up with a wire-to-wire victory.

"If you're playing from the fairway, it's a lot easier," Scott said.

Gore, who got into this World Golf Championship by winning the 84 Lumber Classic last year, played with an old friend from his junior golf days in California — Woods — and settled in quickly with a birdie-eagle-birdie start. The highlight was a 4-wood that he aimed toward the center of the green on the par-5 second hole. He pulled it slightly left, and it wound up 2 feet from the hole.

It was the first time Gore has played with Woods on the PGA Tour.

"It's the first time I've played with him since he's been Tiger," Gore said. "Last time I played with him, he was still Eldrick."

Woods didn't look nearly as sharp as he was four days ago at Medinah, where he captured his 12th career major with a five-shot victory. He traded birdies and bogeys until finishing strong with wedges into 8 feet at No. 16 and 12 feet on No. 18 for a 67.

"I didn't hit the ball very good starting out," Woods said. "But I fixed a couple of things on the back nine."