Round 1 Notebook: THE PLAYERS Championship

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Phil Mickelson hits his tee shot on the par-3 17th on Thursday. (Getty Images)

Weather: Partly cloudy, with temperatures reaching the upper 80s. Winds SSW 10-15 mph, with gusts to 23 mph.

• Sergio Garcia opened the 2008 THE PLAYERS Championship the same way he ended it in 2007, with a 6-under-par 66. Garcia, who currently holds a two-stroke advantage over Kenny Perry and Paul Goydos, is making his ninth career start at THE PLAYERS and is coming off of a career-best runner-up finish here in 2007. His only other top-10 finish was T4 in 2002.

• Garcia, a six-time PGA TOUR winner, seems to be finding his comfort zone at TPC Sawgrass. After recording just three sub-70 scores in his first 26 rounds at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course, he has now matched that total with three consecutive rounds in the 60s, dating back to a 67-66 finish in 2007 and a 66 in Thursday's opening round. He was a combined 15-over-par during those first 26 rounds, but an impressive 17-under the last three rounds.

• Garcia has now held at least a share of the first-round lead seven times in his career. In six previous attempts, he has gone on to finish second three times (2007 British Open, 2005 Wachovia Championship and the 1999 PGA Championship) but has yet to carry the 18-hole lead on to victory.

• A total of 19 balls were hit in the water off of the tee on the famed 17 th hole on Thursday, compared to 46 during the opening round in 2007. The only player to miss the green twice on Thursday was Matt Kuchar, bringing the total for the day to 20 (compared to 50 a year ago).

• The 4-under 68 by Paul Goydos in the opening round is his first sub-70 effort at THE PLAYERS in 29 attempts. His previous best effort was a 2-under 70 in the second round in 1998. In nine previous starts, Goydos has made five cuts, with a T38 in 1999 his best outing.

• Kenny Perry's 4-under 68 is just his fifth sub-70 opening round in 20 career starts at THE PLAYERS. Two of those -- a 69 in 2004 and a 65 in 1996 -- led to career-best T3 and T4 finishes at THE PLAYERS, respectively.

• Phil Mickelson, who is trying to become the first player to successfully defend a PLAYERS title, opened with a 2-under 70. The 33-time PGA TOUR winner is making his 15 th career start at THE PLAYERS, with three top-10 finishes (1-2007, T3-2004, T8-1998) to his credit.

• Heath Slocum continued his good play from a T5 finish at the Wachovia Championship last week by posting a 69 at THE PLAYERS on Thursday. This marks only the second time in six starts at THE PLAYERS that Slocum has carded a round in the 60s (2007 - Round 3 - 69). Slocum entered the week ranked No. 70 in Greens In Regulation on the PGA TOUR, but managed to lead the field by hitting 17 of 18 greens Thursday.

• The first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win just four of 19 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this season, most recently Trevor Immelman at the Masters Tournament.

• The first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 11 times in 34 years at THE PLAYERS, including most recently Phil Mickelson in 2007 and Adam Scott in 2004.

• Fred Couples, who is making his 25th career start at THE PLAYERS (the most by any player in the field), opened with a 2-under 70. Couples has played the tournament every year since 1982, with victories in 1984 and 1996. Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw and Jay Haas hold the tournament record with 28 starts.

• Tom Lehman (73) parred the par-3 17th hole after his tee shot ended up on the fringe. In 59 attempts at the famed-island green, he has found the water just once (second round, 2007).

• With a double bogey on Thursday, Charles Howell III (79) is now 18-over-par during his career on the par-3 17 th hole. Howell is making his seventh career start at THE PLAYERS, with a T32 in 2003 his best finish. He has yet to break 71 in 21 rounds at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course.

• Andres Romero, who turned 27 on Thursday, opened with a 5-over 77. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans champion is one of eight players in their 20s with victories on their 2008 resume.

• Of the 15 players making their first appearance at THE PLAYERS, John Merrick, Nicholas Thompson and Kevin Stadler got off to the best start on Thursday with matching 2-under 70s. Throughout the 34-year history of THE PLAYERS, Jack Nicklaus (1974), Hal Sutton (1983) and Craig Perks (2002) are the only players to win the tournament in their first attempt.

• The opening-round scoring average at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course was 73.716, compared to 75.413 a year ago. The highest first-round average at TPC Sawgrass came in 2000 when the average was 76.194. The par-4 14 th hole played the hardest at 4.454, while the par-5 16 th ranked as the easiest hole (4.596).

• A total of 444 birdies were posted on Thursday, compared to 332 during the first round in 2007.

• Playing in the same group, Boo Weekley, D.J. Trahan and Anthony Kim all posted 2-under 70s.

• There were no bogey-free rounds on Thursday.

• Eight past champions of THE PLAYERS are competing this week, including 2007 champion Phil Mickelson (70), 2006 champion Stephen Ames (74), 2005 winner Fred Funk (74), 2004 victor Adam Scott (75), 1992 and 2003 winner Davis Love III (73), 1998 champion Justin Leonard (75), 1991 and 1997 champion Steve Elkington (69) and 1984 and 1996 winner Fred Couples (70).

• The 2008 THE PLAYERS Championship features a tournament-record $9.5 million purse, with Sunday's winner taking home $1,710,000.

• Masters champion Trevor Immelman had to withdraw prior to the start of THE PLAYERS after waking up early Thursday morning with an illness. He was replaced in the field by Dustin Johnson (73). Immelman had missed the cut in his two previous appearances at THE PLAYERS (2003 and 2007).

• Other illness-related withdrawals came from Jason Gore (after four holes), Hunter Mahan (after two holes), and Ryan Armour (after a 9-over 81), while Cameron Beckman withdrew after 12 holes with a back injury.