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By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

DORAL, Fla. -- The wind blew 29 mph and gusted to 45. The rains came and went and came back again.

That schizophrenic weather turned 73 of the planet's best golfers into quick-change artists on a grim, gray Thursday during the first round of the World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral.

Jose Maria Olazabal shot a 2-under 69 on Thursday. (Grayson/WireImage)

Inside The Numbers

Olazabal's First Round

Category Result (Rank) Fairways Hit 42.9% (T54) Greens in Regulation 77.8% (T1) Putts Per Round 28.0 (T23) Sand Saves 0.0% (T48) Driving Distance Avg. (yds) 250.1 (64) Approach Shot Proximity to Hole 27'5" (3) Total Putts Made Distance 62'2" (T57)

Umbrellas were the 14th club in every bag and Gortex was the fabric of choice for the players who wielded those irons and woods. Asked if he could remember how many times he had to take his rain suit on and off Thursday, Jose Maria Olazabal's memory was fuzzy.

"No, no," the Spaniard said, laughing, after polishing off a round of 69 that left him two strokes off the pace set by Henrik Stenson and Robert Allenby. "I was having hard enough of a job just trying to hit the ball straight."

He may have struggled off the tee, which is nothing new for the Spanish veteran, but Olazabal still managed to do a lot right.

The two-time Masters champion hit 14 greens in regulation to tie for first with Ernie Els, Brett Wetterich and Tiger Woods in that category. Olazabal also took advantage when he got there, using just 28 putts and reeling off four birdies in a row on the back nine.

"I think the rain softened the greens a bit and that made it, you know, somehow a little bit easier on the greens to stop the ball," Olazabal said. "But, you know, if the wind blows like this and we don't get any rain, it's going to be a monster course."

Olazabal, who finished third in his only other PGA TOUR start at Doral, said he had a hard time getting comfortable on the greens. He did have that spurt, though -- rolling in a 10-footer on the 14th hole and following with three more birdie putts of 17, 3 and 7 feet.

"Most of the holes you had the wind across and it made it really difficult," said Olazabal, who started on the back nine and opened with a 33. "Also on the greens, to be honest, it was hard to get the pace right. It was affecting the ball a little bit. It was a tough day out there, yes."

The wind also, as expected, challenged club selection. The 41-year-old often found himself hitting three clubs more than the yardage he had and "some other times we did the opposite," Olazabal said.

He rated Thursday a "good day," but Olazabal still thinks he is battling too many errant shots. That 69 is a much better start, though, than the round of 5 over he opened with last week at Bay Hill on the way to his second missed cut of the season.

"I've been struggling with my game," said Olazabal, who nonetheless has two top-20s in six starts this season. "I've been working really hard but I missed too many shots on the golf course."

Olazabal is known for his imaginative play like his mentor, Seve Ballesteros. He doesn't think, though, that he is at an advantage when the conditions are as difficult as they were on Thursday.

"I've had my good days and my bad days like everybody else I think," he said. Nor does Olazabal think the Europeans have an advantage when the weather conspires against the star-studded field of 73 like it did Thursday.

"I think when you have the best players in the world playing here, they have proven that they can play in any conditions," he said. "I think all of them are well capable of playing in windy conditions without a question.

"It's just putting a good swing and a good stroke as often as possible."

Olazabal also doesn't read anything particularly significant into the fact that just two of the top nine players on the leaderboard after round one of the CA Championship are Americans. All but one of those international players is a member of the PGA TOUR.

"We will see who is on the leaderboard on Sunday around 6 o'clock and that will tell you more about it," he said. "I think the game worldwide, it is improving. I think we do have more players from all around the world that can play really good golf, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Europeans and now even Asia, we have a few Chinese guys that can play well.

"I think, you know, the level is raising and that's why you see more and more foreigners playing here in the States because they have the game to play here."