Five share first-round lead at Mercedes

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Convinced that he has figured out his flaws, determined not to let another opportunity on Maui slip away, Vijay Singh survived the raging trade wind at Kapalua to make six birdies for a 4-under 69 Thursday at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, leaving him in a five-way tie for the lead as the PGA Tour season began in strenuous conditions.

The wind was so strong that Stephen Ames had 152 yards to the hole at No. 13 and ripped a 5-iron. He called it the toughest wind since Saturday at Muirfield in the 2002 British Open, the day Tiger Woods' hope for a Grand Slam ended with an 81.

The result was a crowd atop the leaderboard.

K.J. Choi struck the first shot of the season and was the first to post a 69 with a nice chip to tap-in range on the par-5 18th. Will MacKenzie, one of 13 newcomers to the Mercedes-Benz Championship, and Brett Wetterich and Ames eventually joined the lead.

This is the first of 40 events to earn points in a season-long competition that will end at the Tour Championship.

-- AP