Live notes: First round of Deutsche Bank Champ.

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On a perfect day for scoring at TPC Boston, Mike Weir's 10-under 61 ties for the best round of the year on the PGA TOUR.

The Deutsche Bank Championship, the second leg of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, takes place this week. PGATOUR.COM's crew is on the scene at TPC Boston. We'll provide updates all day during Friday's first round, so check back often.

FIRST ROUND: Leaderboard | PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | FedExCup live projected points

WEIR WITH THE LEAD: Mike Weir will go into the second round of a PGA TOUR event with the lead for just the fifth time in his career. He'll hope it turns out better than the four previous times, as he's never won when leading after the first round. -- Mike McAllister (8:30 p.m. ET)

VOLATILE TIMES: Thanks to adjustments in the FedExCup points system, the Playoffs are offering a chance for many more players to make big moves up the standings with a hot week. And that's just the way they like it.

Take, for instance, John Merrick. He started the Playoffs 69th on the points list. He then moved up to 44th thanks to a T38 at The Barclays. Now he shoots a 7-under 64 on Friday in the first round of the Deutsche Bank, and his projected position is 13th.

"It's pretty amazing, the point swings, how it's set up this year different from last year," Merrick said. "I'm just trying to focus on each day. There's so many days left, and I'm going to go out tomorrow and try to do the same thing I did today."

Or take John Mallinger, who was 92nd when the Playoffs started, moved to 62nd after a T48 last week, and shoots a bogey-free 5-under 66 on Friday that puts him 46th in the projected standings.

"I think last year I finishied 10th here and moved up 15 spots," Mallinger said. "You finish 10th here this year and you move up 40 spots. It's a big bonus for guys that are in the system."

Briny Baird certainly is eyeing that big bonus. He started in 29th, moved up to 27th, and is now sixth in projected points after his opening 64. His consistency this season -- only two missed cuts in 24 starts -- is something that can be rewarded in the Playoffs.

"It hard to understand," said Baird, who is in the top five after 18 holes of a TOUR event for the sixth time this year.. "I think guys were a little shocked last week with as much movement as there was.

"Now we're getting kind of used to it, and you understand where you can get your points and how to get your points and stuff.

"It's definitely exciting. It's a system that enables someone like myself to possibly contend for $10 million."

That's unless Mike Weir continues to shoot 10-under 61s. If that happens, then it's everybody else for second. -- Mike McAllister (8:15 p.m. ET)

WEIR'S REACTION: After making a couple of long putts for birdies to start his round, Mike Weir just had one thought -- keep the momentum going. That hot putter never stopped, as he kept draining long putt after long putt en route to a 10-under 61.

Weir

"After making those putts, everything seemed to look easier to me," Weir said. "It's tough to explain but I just tried to stay in that frame of mind when I got on the green, just remembering the last one, how that felt, and try to do the same thing. I did that all the way around."

Weir said he really wanted to make his last putt for eagle, which was from 59 feet, because it would have given him a new personal low for any round on TOUR. Weir shot 10-under (62) at Doral in 2001.

"I really just wanted to get focused on that stick," Weir said. "Instead of concentrating on trying to lag it down there, I wanted to concentrate on making that thing ... and I almost did." -- Mike McAllister (6:35 p.m. ET)

64s ARE EVERYWHERE: Add Heath Slocum and Briny Baird to the group of players who shot 7-under 64 on Friday. That leaves four players (Vijay Singh and John Merrick are the others) who will go into Saturday's second round as the closest pursuers to Mike Weir, who tied the course record with a 10-under 61.

Unlike last week at The Barclays, when players who teed off were at a decided disadvantage, that doesn't appear to be the case at TPC Boston. Thanks to cool conditions, no wind and cloud cover that prevented the greens from drying out, both ends of the draw were given ideal scoring conditions.

Of the 17 players who finished with 66 or better, eight came from the afternoon group, including Weir, Merrick, Baird and Slocum. -- Mike McAllister (6:30 p.m. ET)

WEIR AND HIS PUTTER: How do you shoot a 10-under 61 and tie the course record at TPC Boston? For Mike Weir on Friday, it was a matter of draining almost every putt he stepped up to.

In fact, on the back nine, that's exactly what Weir did, as he one-putted the last nine greens to take the first-round lead Friday. His total distance of putts was 140 feet, 4 inches, the most of any player (J.J. Henry ws second with 138 feet, 11 inches of putts made).

Even more impressive -- none of Weir's putts for birdies were gimmes. The shortest was 4 feet, 1 inch. Seven of his 10 birdie putts were 10 feet or longer.

Here's the breakdown: -- Mike McAllister (6:10 p.m. ET)

WEIR's 61: Mike Weir just recorded the lowest round of his PGA TOUR career; his previous low as 62 in the first round of the 2001 Genuity Championship.

Weir's 61 also ties for the lowest score on TOUR this year, as well as the lowest score relative to par. -- Mike McAllister (5:35 p.m. ET)

WEIR ON 18: We'll follow Mike Weir on the par-5 18th as he makes his bid for a round of 60 ...

Shot No. 1: Weir bombs his drive 315 yards, his longest drive of the day, and is safely on the fairway. He has 198 yards to the pin.

Shot No. 2: Weir's iron shot hits on the left side of the green, with the ball coming to a rest on the fringe. If he wants to shoot 60, he'll need to sink a putt of 59 feet, 1inch.

Shot No. 3: Great speed on his putt but it just misses on the left-hand side. He'll have a 5 feet, 1 inch putt coming back to shoot 61 and tie the course record.

Shot No. 4: Weir makes the putt to finish off his 10-under 61. That ties Vijay Singh's course record that he set in the third round of the 2006 Deutsche Bank. -- Mike McAllister (5:26 p.m. ET)

MERRICK JOINS SINGH: John Merrick just put the wraps on his 7-under 64 to tie Vijay Singh for the clubhouse lead. Merrick eagled the par-5 18th when he drained a 26-foot, 4-inch putt.

Merrick had a near-flawless round. Not only did he avoid any bogeys, but he hit 13 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation. -- Mike McAllister (5:06 p.m. ET)

LOWEST OF THE LOW ROUNDS: Doesn't appear that Mike Weir will get to 59 -- his approach shot on the 17th landed just off the green, so unless he chips in, he'll have to settle for par. But he could still eagle the 18th to record a 60.

Just so you know -- besides the three 59s recorded in PGA TOUR history (Al Geiberger in 1977, Chip Beck in 1991, David Duval in 1999), there have been 20 rounds of 60 in TOUR competition. The last one came in last year's TOUR Championship when Zach Johnson shot 60 in the third round at East Lake. -- Mike McAllister (4:59 p.m. ET)

WEIR ... WOW: With two holes to play, Mike Weir is at 9 under, and he still has a par-5 hole to play (the 19th). But he'll need to shave three more strokes if he wants to finish with a 59. Certainly within reach -- the 18th is the easiest hole on the course and has given up three eagles today, while the 17th is the fourth easiest. -- Mike McAllister (4:40 p.m. ET)

RYDER CUP THREESOMES: There are two U.S. Ryder Cup threesomes playing in the first two rounds at TPC Boston. The morning threesome of Kenny Perry, Ben Curtis and Stewart Cink shot a collective 9 under (Curtis, 6 under; Cink, 4 under; Perry, 1 over), while the threesome of Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard are on their back nines now.

Cink said the conversation between the three this morning didn't drift that often into Ryder Cup talk -- at least in terms of actually playing in it.

"We talk a little bit more about other things that go on at the Ryder Cup, like what the wives do," Cink said. "Ben has never been in one, and his wife is a little nervous about what to do. So I was telling him, definitely, she shouldn't be nervous.

"We talk about just kind of what to expect more than who's going to play with who and what kind of formats we're going to play in."

Vijay Singh, meanwhile, won't have to worry about a team competition until next year's Presidents Cup. Which means he doesn't have to worry about getting ready for the Ryder Cup and can just focus is on one thing for the next month. And that would be ...

"Winning the FedExCup," Curtis said with a nervous grin. -- Mike McAllister (4:15 p.m. ET)

SINGH LOOKING GOOD: Yes, it's early. Yes, there's plenty of golf left at TPC Boston. But if Vijay Singh were to win his second straight Playoffs event, that would obviously put him in the driver's seat to win the FedExCup.

Specifically, if Singh wins this week and earns points in both the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship, he's most likely going to win the FedExCup, unless the winner of the BMW Championship could also win THE TOUR Championship. -- Steve Dennis (3:45 p.m. ET)

WEIR SHAVES: So much for Mike Weir's playoff beard. Despite a solid performance last week at The Barclays (T7), he decided to shave it prior to Friday's first round.

Maybe the move has worked to his favor -- Weir blitzed the opening nine at 6-under 30 and is now at 7 under, tied with Vijay Singh for the tournament lead. -- Mike McAllister (3:38 p.m. ET)

SERGIO OFF THE TEE: It wasn't the greatest driving day for Sergio Garcia, as he hit just six of 14 fairways.

Garcia

But it didn't matter. He was able to recover nicely, hitting 16 of 18 Greens In Regulation to shoot a 4-under 67 and maintain the momentum he's built up the past two starts in which he's finished second both times (including last week's playoff lost to Vijay Singh at Ridgewood)..

"Obviously, I didn't hit the ball as well as I've been hitting it lately," Garcia said. "But I managed to score well, and that's the important thing. Hopefully, I can get it sorted out.

"If this is my worst ball-striking round, then we'll be in good shape."

Of Garcia's last 13 rounds on TOUR, eight have been in the 60s. -- Mike McAllister (3:35 p.m. ET)

TOUGH FINISH FOR PADDY: Padraig Harrington closed his disappointing 4-over 75 with a triple-bogey 8 on the par-5 18th. As it stands now, the winner of the last two majors this year is in serious danger of not advancing to THE TOUR Championship.

Harrington

Harrington, who started the Playoffs fourth in FedExCup points, dropped to 23 after shooting 72-73 to miss the cut at The Barclays. After finishing his round Friday -- the worse thus far of any finisher -- he was projected to be 48th in points.

If he misses the cut this week, he'd need to rebound quickly at the BMW Championship.

Harrington found himself in trouble with a wayward approach shot on the 18th that landed in the native area, eventually had to take a penalty shot and missed a seven-foot putt for double bogey.

Harrington hit just 10 of 18 Greens in Regulation in his round. -- Mike McAllister (3:23 p.m. ET)

EARLY TOUR NOTES: Local favorite Brett Quigley opened with a 2-under 69, equaling his best round at TPC Boston in six career starts at the Deutsche Bank. The 39-year-old native of Fort Devens, Mass., who has missed the cut in five previous starts here, needs a good showing this week to move up from his current 90th position on the FedExCup points list and advance to the 70-player field at next week's BMW Championship ...

Glen Day saw his PGA TOUR-leading streak of 21 consecutive rounds at par or better snapped on Friday after posting a 1-over 72. Day's previous above-par effort came in the third round of the John Deer Classic (also a 1-over 72) on July 12. John Riegger, who isn't in the Playoffs, now holds the TOUR's best current streak with nine straight rounds at par or better. -- Stewart Moore (3:07 p.m.)

BIG NAMES COME TO PLAY: Besides Vijay Singh and his 7-under 64, several other notable players sprinted out to fast starts Friday.

Ben Curtis continued his hot play of late with a 6-under 65. Curtis, who in three of his last four starts tied for seventh at the Open Championship, tied for second at the PGA Championship and tied for fourth at The Barclays last week, was asked if he had ever had a stretch like this.

"Not since I've been out here (on TOUR)," he replied.

Ernie Els opened with a 5-under 66, while Stewart Cink and Sergio Garcia each shot 4-under 67s.

And if you're wondering about the group of Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard? Through four holes Mickelson is 1 under, Kim is 3 under and Leonard is even. You can follow their group by clicking here. -- Mike McAllister (2:32 p.m. ET)

RIPE TO GO LOW: Vijay Singh obviously enjoys coming to TPC Boston. In his first three starts, he finished fourth (2003), first (2004) and second (2006) before finishing T60 last year.

Singh

On Friday, he again enjoyed his 18 holes at the course with his 7-under 64. The conditions for scoring, he said, were perfect.

"There's no wind, and the pins are very fair," Singh said. "Besides one or two pins, the rest of them are pretty generous. That's why you've got a lot of guys shooting low numbers."

Oh, and the greens? "The greens are much more softer this year than I've ever seen on the first day," Singh said. "You can almost attack the pins."

Singh had eight birdies (and one bogey due to a three-putt on 16). Here are the details of his birdies. To replay his round on PGA TOUR Shot Tracker, click here. -- Mike McAllister (2:10 p.m. ET)

SINGH IN AT 64: FedExCup points leader Vijay Singh just made a huge statement Friday with a 7-under 64 that gives him the clubhouse lead. That's his best opening round in more than two years; he shot a 64 in the first round of the 2006 Buick Open.

Singh has shot 64 or better in the first round eight times in official PGA TOUR events; four of those times, he has gone on to win the tournament, and finished T11 or better the other four times. That 50 percent winning percentage -- and his confidence in his putter -- could be an ominous sign for the rest of the field this week. And perhaps even the rest of the Playoffs. -- Mike McAllister (1:25 p.m. ET)

HANGING TOUGH: Eric Axley didn't exactly open the Playoffs the way he had hoped.

Axley

A 78 in the first round of The Barclays put the colorful 34-year-old in danger of missing the cut -- and at 99th in the FedExCup standings, a chance to play in the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Axley rallied with 65 in the second round to survive to play the weekend and he went on to tie for 38th. He played his final 54 holes at Ridgewood Country Club in 8 under and moved up to 72nd in the FedExCup.

Now Axley faces another potential elimination since only the top 70 advance to St. Louis. But he's continued his fine play at TPC Boston, opening with a 66 that left him two strokes off the lead.

"I think if you go out and just play your best, the points and the money and what it can do for you takes care of itself," Axley said. "It can get in the back of your mind a little bit, but it seems like in my position being at 72 on the FedExCup points, if I were just to make the cut, I mean, it seems like I would advance.

"But there's more to it than that. You can kind of play your way into the Top 30 and do a lot more than just make the cut and advance. So there's a lot more going on than just advancing." -- Helen Ross (1:40 p.m. ET)

DEJA VU?: John Mallinger knows the drill.

Mallinger

A year ago, he came into the Deutsche Bank Championship ranked 71st in the standings for the Playoffs. Mallinger tied for 14th at TPC Boston, moved up 10 spots and secured his spot in the BMW Championship the following week.

He's in a similar position this year at No. 67 -- with only the top 70 advancing to play at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis. Once again, though, Mallinger is poised to take care of business after shooting a 66 in the first round.

"I needed to play well last year and I did and I got in," Mallinger said. "The way it's set up now, it's one of those deals where you have a good week and you can move up a lot.

"For someone in my position, it's pretty fortunate. It's a little unfortunate for the guys up top who have played well all year but now that everyone knows the situation, you've just got to play."

Mallinger didn't make a bogey on Friday during the first round. His birdie putts came ffrom 27, 20, 19 and 20 feet, as well as 31 inches. The round was his lowest since he shot 66 in the second round of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

"I have been playing well last month or so, I just haven't scored," Mallinger said. "I had some stuff in my mind and I kind of cleared it out. Made a couple of good putts and that was it." -- Helen Ross (1:04 p.m. ET)

STREELMAN IN AT 66: After his solid performance last week in which he led after 54 holes and eventually finished tied for fourth, rookie Kevin Streelman has maintained the momentum on Friday. He shot a 5-under 66 as he made a charge on the back nine at TPC Boston, shooting 5-under 30 and closing with a birdie on the 18th.

To replay Streelman's round, click here. -- Mike McAllister (12:53 p.m. ET)

CINK UPDATE: After a sizzling front nine and a birdie on his 10th hole of the day, Stewart Cink was at 6 under. But he's fallen off the pace with a couple of bogeys down the stretch.

Meanwhile, Vijay Singh and Ben Curtis are sizzling. Singh is 7 under with two holes left; Curtis is 6 under with one hole left. -- Mike McAllister (12:49 p.m. ET)

AXLEY IN AT 65: Eric Axley just finished up the low round of the day thus far, a 6-under 65 that included seven birdies and one bogey. Here are his birdies (to replay Axley's round on Shot Tracker, click here).: -- Mike McAllister (12:45 p.m. ET)

SINGH STILL HOT: Last week's winner of The Barclays, Vijay Singh, isn't letting up. He's 5 under with four holes to play in his first round, having reeled off three birdies in a four-hole stretch on his second nine (which is TPC Boston's front nine, since he started on the 10th hole). -- Mike McAllister (12:10 p.m. ET)

MALLINGER AT 66: John Mallinger just finished his round, a bogey-free 5-under 66 that gives him the clubhouse lead.

For Mallinger, who's 62nd in FedExCup points, the 66 is his lowest first round of the year, and ties for the second lowest of his career. -- Mike McAllister (12:05 p.m. ET)

DRIVABLE PAR 4: Just like last week at Ridgewood, TPC Boston offers a drivable par-4, the 298-yard fourth hole. A year ao, the hole ranked as the third easiest (only the par-5 18th and par-5 second were easier), and played to a stroke average of 0.286 under par.

According to ShotLink, nearly 87 percent of the field went for the green a year ago, the highest percentage of any drivable par 4 on TOUR in 2007. Yet just 26 of those 325 attempts successfully landed on the green.

Brad Faxon noted that several options exist off the tee. "A lay-up will give you a full approach to a pin, or a drive placed to the widest part of the fairway will set up a tricky little pitch over the yawning bunker that guards the left side of the green," Faxon described.

Here were the shortest par 4s on TOUR in 2007, according to ShotLink. -- Mike McAllister (11:30 a.m. ET)

TOP GROUP UPDATE: The trio of Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Kevin Sutherland -- the top three players in FedExCup points entering this week -- have just finished their first nines (the group started on the 10th tee).

Garcia is bogey-free and currently stands at 3 under. Singh is 2 under and Sutherland is even. You can follow their second nine by checking out our new PGA TOUR Shot Tracker. -- Mike McAllister (10:55 a.m. ET)

30 AT THE TURN: Stewart Cink made the turn at 5-under 30 and has pushed that to 6-under after a birdie at the first hole (he started his round on No. 10). That puts him on pace to challenge the tournament course record of 61 set by Vijay Singh in the third round of 2006.

Cink also is on pace for his best opening round ever; he opened with a 63 at the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational in 2004. -- Mike McAllister (10:35 a.m. ET)

SNEDS' ROLLERCOASTER: Brandt Snedeker opened his round with three consecutive birdies, including an 18-foot putt on the par-3 third hole. But he's given two strokes back on consecutive bogeys at the par-5 seventh and par-3 eighth, the latter when he failed to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker.

Sneder just made the turn at 1-under 35. -- Mike McAllister (10:20 a.m. ET)

NICE START FOR MARINO: Steve Marino, who begins this week 61st in FedExCup points and in need of a solid showing to secure his spot for next week's BMW Championship, couldn't have asked for a better start. He's 4 under through the first four holes, thanks to two birdies along with an eagle at the par-5 second hole when he hit a 295-yard drive, then a 253-yard approach shot over the water protecting the green that left him a seven-foot eagle putt.

Others off to a quick start: Ryan Moore, Erix Axley and Fredrik Jacobson, each of whom started their rounds off the 10th tee, made the turn at 3-under 32. Carl Pettersson and Stewart Cink are also playing well on the second nine, while Ian Poulter started on the front side and made the turn at 2-under. -- Mike McAllister (9:55 a.m. ET)

WEATHER UPDATE: For the second consecutive week in the Playoffs, the players will have ideal weather -- at least today. The forecast calls for sunny conditions all day with an afternoon high in the upper 70s and northerly winds at 6-12 mph.

But Saturday's second round may be different, especially for those with afternoon tee times. A frontal boundary will bring a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms late Saturday and into the night.

The final two rounds should be fine, though. Sunday will offer partly cloudy skies, then clearing later, while Monday's final round will duplicate Friday's sunny and pleasant conditions. -- Mike McAllister (9:30 a.m. ET)