PGA Tour tees off new season

Ernie Els, Jim Furyk tied for lead at Mercedes Championships.

By Doug Ferguson ~ The Associated Press

KAPALUA, Hawaii -- The PGA Tour could not have asked for an easier start to the new season Thursday.

With Tiger Woods some 5,000 miles away recovering from knee surgery and Kapalua practically defenseless in surprisingly calm conditions, Ernie Els and Jim Furyk led a first-round assault in the Mercedes Championships.

Furyk made himself at home -- he finished his 9-under 64 just 300 yards away from his house -- by making an eagle and five putts longer than 15 feet.

Els joined him in the lead by making two eagles and playing his final seven holes in 6-under par, recovering from a double bogey that kept him from setting the course record.

"I was watching the board. Seemed like everybody was doing the same that I was doing," the Big Easy said. "It was a nice day for the guys out there."

How nice?

Only three players in the 36-man field of PGA Tour winners were over par. More than half of the field were in the 60s, and the average score -- 69.31 -- was the lowest for any round in the five years that the Mercedes has been played at Kapalua.

No one had to tell Furyk how easy it was.

He just finished his second home this summer, played 27 holes during a visit to the Plantation Course in November, and he's the only guy who has played in all five season-opening tournaments since they moved to Kapalua in 1999.

"About as good as it gets," he said. "The wind laid down for us today, made it possible to go out there and shoot low scores."

Chris Riley and Gene Sauers each had a 65, two players more representative of this year's 36-man field at the winners-only Mercedes.

Woods is not playing this year because of knee surgery last month, while second-ranked Phil Mickelson is taking time off. David Toms, Davis Love III and David Duval didn't win last year, so they didn't qualify.

In their place are guys like Riley, who is among the 18 players who won for the first time on tour last year, and Sauers, who went 13 years between victories.

They had never seen the Plantation Course, although they proved to be quick studies.

"I didn't know what to expect, but I'm pretty happy with it," Riley said. "I don't know any other different conditions since this is my first time here."

Jerry Kelly, who won his first PGA Tour event at the Sony Open in Honolulu, also had a 65. Rookie-of-the-year Jonathan Byrd and Luke Donald of England were in the group at 68.

So benign were the conditions that six players making their Mercedes Championships debut were among the top 10.

As if getting pampered at Kapalua wasn't enough.

"I don't think I've ever seen it this calm," Els said. "When you get a day like today, you've got to take advantage."

Most of the players did.

PGA champion Rich Beem (74), Jose Maria Olazabal (74) and Len Mattiace (75) were the only players who failed to shoot par or better on what figures to be the easiest day of the tournament.

"I told my caddie, 'We'd better get going early because I don't know if we'll have another day like this,"' Els said.

Els didn't carry out his plan to perfection.

A tap-in birdie on the 484-yard seventh hole pushed him to 4 under for the round, only that didn't last long. He tried to fade a 6-iron to the flag on the par-3 eighth, but he held onto the club too long, and the ball went down the hill left into the hazard.

It was similar to the mistake he made at Muirfield on the 16th, which also led to a double bogey and nearly cost him the British Open.

Just like then, Els recovered.

He birdied the next hole, then really turned it loose on the back nine, belting his driver with confidence and setting up short birdie putts. He hit 7-iron for his second shot on 555-yard 15th hole to 15 feet for his second eagle of the round.

Els is due a victory at Kapalua.

He had a chance three years ago against Woods, when both eagled the 18th, birdied the 18th in a playoff and Woods finally won with a 40-foot birdie on the second playoff hole.

Els also had control in 2001, but instead watched Furyk -- his playing partner in the final round -- hole critical putts to win.

Furyk also won at Kapalua during the silly-season in 1995, and he has never finished lower than ninth in five years at the Mercedes.

He wasted no time moving to the top this year, hitting a 4-wood off the tee at No. 9 and another 4-wood to 15 feet for eagle. Furyk made five other putts of at least 15 feet, including the 40-footer on No. 17.

"It was a good start to the year, good start to this week, and hopefully I'll keep it up," Furyk said.

Divots: Rookie-of-the-year Jonathan Byrd hit the first shot of the 2003 season, a driver that split the middle on the opening hole. "I still had a 4-iron left to the green," he said. ... Chris Riley and his caddie have a traditional wager -- the caddie pays him $25 every time Riley plays a bogey-free round. "It turns into bigger money for him when he gets the percentage check at the end of the week," Riley said. ... Defending champion Sergio Garcia opened with a 71, which is still better than his opening round (73) last year.