Notebook, Round 1: RBC Canadian Open

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Weather: Partly cloudy and pleasant. High in the low 80s. Winds W at 8-15 mph.

Brent Delahoussaye easily surpassed his career-low PGA TOUR round with his 8-under 62 Thursday, and he takes a first-round PGA TOUR lead for the first time. He had seven birdies, an eagle and a bogey to take a two-stroke advantage. Delahoussaye's previous low was a 66, most recently at the John Deere Classic two weeks ago.

RBC CANADIAN OPEN

Leaderboard
Rd. 1 Wrap-up
Rd. 2 Tee Times
Live Report
Inside the Field

With a first-round 64, Vance Veazey is off to his best start of the season while matching his career-low PGA TOUR round. In 2003, Veazey opened with a 64 near Chicago at the 100th Western Open. Only twice this season has Veazey opened with an under-par round, and he's only had one first round in the 60s (67 at the Farmers Insurance Open). Thursday, Veazey opened with a birdie on No. 9 (his first hole), added six more birdies against only one bogey. Thursday, Veazey was nine strokes better than his 2010 first-round scoring average (73.14).

Amateur Nick Taylor began his 2010 RBC Canadian Open in style, holing out for eagle on his first hole of the day. Taylor, of Abbotsford, British Columbia, via the University of Washington, knocked in his approach shot on the par 4 from 113 yards. It was the first eagle of his PGA TOUR career. Taylor shot a first-round 71 and is tied for 100th.

By eagling the par-5 ninth hole Thursday, Mike Weir made his fifth eagle at the RBC Canadian Open and third in the last two years. From 33 feet, 7 inches, Weir chipped in from the left side of the ninth green Thursday. Here are all of Weir's RBC Canadian Open eagles:

John Daly also picked up his second eagle in his RBC Canadian Open history. He made a 25-inch, 4-foot putt on No. 9 in the first round. Daly's only other eagle came in 2002 at Angus Glen. He eagled the par-5 16th there in the third round.

Prior to this year, Rich Barcelo had played in two RBC Canadian Opens, and both times he missed the cut (2004 and 2007). Before the 65 he had Thursday, his previous-best 18-hole score was a 70 he shot in 2007.

There were five bogey-free rounds Thursday. They came from Stephen Ames, Greg Chalmers, Tim Clark, Ryan Palmer and Dean Wilson.

In five previous RBC Canadian Open appearances, Hunter Mahan has never missed the cut, with a tie for fourth in 2004 and a tie for fifth in 2007 his best showings. Mahan hasn't played in Canada since 2007, however he immediately made an impact on his return with an opening-round 65, that included seven birdies and two bogeys. His 65 is the second-lowest round he's recorded in Canada. Mahan's career low here was the 9-under 62 he fired during the first round in 2007 (Angus Glen Golf Club).

The longest birdie streak Thursday came from Rich Barcelo, with five. He made consecutive birdies starting on the fourth hole. His birdie-putt distances were as follows: No. 4, 5 feet, 2 inches; No. 5, 5 feet, 2 inches; No. 6, 8 feet, 4 inches; No. 7, 4 feet, 9 inches; No. 8, 1 feet, 3 inches. On the par-5 ninth, Barcelo missed a 17-foot, 7-inch birdie putt that would have extended the streak. Barcelo finished with a 5-under 65.

A year ago, the top finishes by a Canadian came from Stephen Ames and Chris Baryla, who both tied for eighth.

Charley Hoffman did not play in the 2009 RBC Canadian Open, but he has made an eagle in each of his last two tournaments. In 2008, at Glen Abbey Golf Club, Hoffman eagled the par-5 finishing hole Sunday on his way to a tie for 28th. Thursday, Hoffman landed his approach shot at the par-5 11th hole 7 feet, 9 inches from the cup and made the putt. He opened with a 5-under 65.

Dean Wilson fired a first-round 65 Thursday, his career-low round at this event. Wilson enjoyed a bogey-free, five-birdie morning at St. George's. In two previous RBC Canadian Opens, Wilson has tied for 53rd (2008) and missed the cut last year. His low round is a 70, in both the first and second rounds in 2008.

After birdieing the second and third holes (he played the back nine first), Camilo Villegas reached 5 under and was leading the tournament. But the Colombian stumbled down the stretch, making bogeys on three of his final four holes. Villegas still shot a 2-under 68, giving him five consecutive par-or-better rounds at the RBC Canadian Open.

The toughest hole Thursday was the par-4 18th. It yielded just eight birdies, 44 bogeys and three "others," which belonged to Paul Casey, Carlos Franco and Scott McCarron (all double bogeys).

Robert Garrigus and Brian Davis withdrew following their rounds Thursday. Garrigus had a shoulder injury, and Davis cited exhaustion.

There are five players over age 50 playing this week. They are Paul Azinger, Ben Boudreau, Fred Couples, Tom Pernice, Jr., and Jim Rutledge.

Paul Azinger
Azinger is making his 2010 PGA TOUR debut, shot a 69 on Thursday and is tied for 51st. He has also had four Champions Tour starts. Azinger has not made a PGA TOUR cut since he tied for 69th at the 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

Ben Boudreau
A native of Longueuil, Quebec, Boudreau, 51, is making his PGA TOUR debut this week. He fired a first-round 74 and is tied for 146th.

Fred Couples
He is a three-time 2010 Champions Tour winner who shot a first-round 73 and is tied for 130th. This is his sixth PGA TOUR start this season. He's only missed one cut (Quail Hollow Championship), and his best finish was a sixth-place showing at the Masters.

Tom Pernice, Jr.
Pernice is playing his 15th tournament of the season. He's previously made 11 cuts, with a tie for seventh at the HP Byron Nelson Championship his best performance. He shot a 68 Thursday and is tied for 37th.

Jim Rutledge
Rutledge, the native of Victoria, British Columbia, is looking to make his first cut since the 2007 Valero Texas Open. He opened with a 76 and is tied for 152nd.