ATLANTA — Tiger Woods wasn't even paying attention to his score. No one else could ignore it.

It was an incredible stretch of golf that lasted just over an hour under heavy clouds and the threat of storms, but those six holes Friday at the Tour Championship changed everything.

Woods ran off five straight birdies, including one he never saw go in from the bottom of a bunker. Then he rammed in a 70-foot eagle putt for a 28 on the front nine of defenseless East Lake, the lowest nine-hole score of his career.

It energized a lifeless gallery at East Lake with hopes of seeing a 59.

And it drained whatever drama was left in the FedEx Cup.

"I don't know if it's a zone or not," Woods said after settling for a 7-under 63 and a three-shot lead. "I just felt that the rhythm was good. The pace was good. The swing was good. I hit one bad putt that went in. I made a bomb. But I was hitting good shots through that stretch. It was nice."

Mark Calcavecchia was tied of the lead when he started hearing one huge roar after another on the other side of the course, and watched Woods start to separate himself on the leaderboard. He calculated a 28 on the front and tried to guess where Woods made par.

"First three? He got off to a bad start. He could be in a slump," Calcavecchia said with sarcasm as thick as the muggy air. "I noticed he made a bogey. I think he's losing it now."