CARNOUSTIE, Scotland, July 19 - Tiger Woods moved straight into the thick of the battle towards the top of the leaderboard when he launched his challenge for a third British Open title running on Thursday.

The world number one was satisfied with an opening two-under-par 69 in damp, bone-numbing conditions which left him two shots adrift of early pacesetter Paul McGinley of Ireland.

Michael Campbell, the former U.S. Open champion from New Zealand, and Austrian Markus Brier were a stroke behind McGinley at three under.

As ever, though, most eyes were on Woods. He told reporters it was an "ideal" start to his bid to become the first man since Peter Thomson 51 years ago to collect three consecutive Open wins.

Woods, 31, just about got the better of a sodden Carnoustie with three birdies and an eagle three at the 578-yard sixth.

A finely judged approach after a drive which carried over 310 yards left him a 12-foot putt which he guided into the centre of the sixth hole.

Woods, tied second at the U.S. Masters and U.S. Open this year, had opened his birdie account at the third with an eight-footer and he rounded off his outward half by converting another from a yard further away.

ONLY BLEMISH

His only blemish before that was a bogey at the short eighth but he got a slice of luck at the 10th after receiving a free drop in the rough as his ball lay by television cables.

Onlookers said the much-improved lie enabled Woods to make his par four but successive dropped shots at the 12th and 13th threatened to take away all his momentum as he fell back to one under.

Typically, he had some magic up his sleeve in the form of an extraordinary, tramlining 100-foot putt which gave him his final birdie at the short 16th.

At one stage in McGinley's round, the Irishman looked likely to put clear water between himself and the field after racing to six under with a four at the long 14th.

He failed to find the greens in regulation at both the next two holes, however, and fell back to four under before parring in.

"I can't overpower a course as long (7,421 yards) as this," said McGinley, who holed the winning putt in the 2002 Ryder Cup.

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