Ogilvy grabs lead at Mercedes-Benz Championship

Jan 9, 2009 - 6:30 AM KAPALUA, Hawaii (Ticker) -- Geoff Ogilvy fired a 6-under par 67 to grab the lead Thursday after the first round of the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship.

Ernie Els, Kenny Perry and Johnson Wagner are each one shot back at 68 at the $5.6 million event.

The 31-year-old Ogilvy managed three birdies on each the front and back nine as he mastered Kapalua's Plantation Course.

"It's not like you're trying to achieve it when you play golf," Ogilvy said of his bogey-free round, "but it's nice to not make any bogeys. Sometimes you can make a par on a par-5 and feel like you've made a bogey. Or sometimes you can make a par and feel like you've made a birdie. No bogeys is always nice."

Ogilvy gave much of the credit for his stellar play to his irons.

"I did hit my irons really well," he said. "There's such a difference between downhill and downwind, and uphill and into the wind; and it's either one or the other here. You're hitting (an) 8-iron from 120 yards on the 7th hole, and on 10, you're hitting a 6-iron from 110. And both of them are going right, my little dinky ones into the wind were going well and my smashes downwind were going well, so very happy with it."

Els owned a one-shot lead midway through the first round, surging to 4-under par through his first six holes. The South African eagled the par-5 third hole before birdying No. 6.

Els pushed his card to 6-under with birdies on Nos. 9 and 11 before giving a shot back by bogeying the par-5 15th.

Els didn't think the first 11 holes were the best he has played recently.

"No, I played in the South African Open and actually had a chance to be in the playoff," he said. "I had two putts from here to that door and 3-putted for 63. My game is coming around and I've started playing some good golf ever since after the FedEx. So I'm playing OK and I'm feeling good about my game."

A three-time major winner, Els has won only one event since the beginning of the 2005 season. But the 39-year-old got off to a good start Thursday and is one shot behind Ogilvy.

Perry had an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys in his round, which he finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th.

Wagner was all over the place en route to his 68. The 28-year-old fired six birdies, three bogeys and had an eagle on 18.

"It was great," Wagner said of his eagle. "I had been hitting good shots all day, not making a lot of putts, and made a nice 10-footer downhill on 16, and made a 30-footer on 17. Then hit one a little too far left than I thought on 18, but it ended up perfectly in a flat spot. A 3-iron in and hit a good shot and made the putt.

"It was a great finish and turned a 71 into 68 real quick, which is nice.

Davis Love III, Steve Lowery, Sean O'Hair and Ryuji Imada are in a four-way tie for fourth at 5-under 69.

With Tiger Woods still working his way back from knee surgery, the focus will be on some of last season's breakthrough players to see if they can build on their momentum in the 33-player field here.

One player to keep an eye on is Anthony Kim, who won last year's Wachovia Championship and AT&T National and earned $4,656,265. Kim birdied his final two holes to finish at 2-under 71.

Vijay Singh, who will undergo knee surgery following the completion of this tournament, shot an even-par round of 73. Singh won this tournament in 2007.

Defending champion Daniel Chopra of Sweden finished at 7-over 80, suffering through a round of three bogeys and four double bogeys to go with four birdies.

First prize is just over $1 million, and a win also guarantees a spot in the field here next season.