AT&T Championship: Round 1 notebook

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Weather: Sunny and pleasant with highs in the low-to-mid-70s. Winds were from NE at 5-15 mph.

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Leaderboard: Round 1
Round 2 Tee Times
Video highlights

• World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin, the Champions Tour's all-time leader in victories with 45, reached another milestone today when he shot his age for the first time. The 65-year-old Irwin posted a 6-under-par 65 and is one of five players tied for the lead. It was his low round of the year and his best round since he shot a 7-under-par 65 in the opening round at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in January, 2009.

• Five players share the opening-round lead, the most to share that distinction since seven players were in that position at the 2008 JELD-WEN Tradition.

• Irwin was not the only veteran to shine on Saturday. Sixty-three-year-old Hall of Famer Larry Nelson opened with a 6-under-par 65. It was his lowest round since he opened with a 65 at the 2009 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am where he eventually finished second.

• John Cook continued his mastery of the Oak Hills C.C. layout, shooting a 6-under-par 65. In 10 rounds at the course, Cook has posted nine rounds in the 60s and his scoring average during that period is 66.50.

• Less than a week after posting a second-place finish at the Administaff Small Business Classic which moved him from 40thto 30th on the money list, Mark Wiebe shot a 6-under-par 65 and is one of five players tied for the lead.

• Steve Lowery, making just his second start on the Champions Tour, opened with a 5-under-par 66 and is T6. He finished T21 last week at the Administaff Small Business Classic.

• Two long-time PGA TOUR players made their debuts on Friday. Jay Delsing shot a 68 and is T19 and Willie Wood shot a 69 and is T31.

• Monday qualifiers Javier Sanchez and Rod Spittle each opened with a 5-under-par 66s. Sanchez was tied for the lead at one point but made a bogey at No. 7 to fall back, one off the pace. He had started at No. 10.

• John Cook, Mark Wiebe, Keith Fergus, Larry Mize, Fred Funk and Ted Schulz all posted bogey-free rounds. Schulz was celebrating his 51st birthday on Friday.

• The most difficult hole was No. 13 with an average score of 3.190 (+.190). There were just five birdies during the round. The easiest was No. 10 at 4.405 (-.595).

• With near-perfect scoring conditions, the field averaged 69.759, the lowest scoring average for any round since the event moved to Oak Hills C.C. in 2002. The previous low was 69.766 (2nd/2005). A year ago the field averaged 71.403 the first day. There were seven eagles and 314 birdies on Friday.

• Wood, Chien-soon Lu and Eduardo Romero led all players for fewest putts with 24. Romero had 12 one-putts to lead all players in that category.

• Kenny Perry had the day's longest measured drive -- 348 yards on No. 5. He finished with a 74.

• The battle for the 30th and final position for next week's Charles Schwab Cup Championship continues. Mark Wiebe is currently 30th with $582,546 and is currently T1 after the opening round, while Ted Schulz, who is 31st with $574,881, is T19 after a 3-under-par 68. Keith Fergus is 32nd with $540,758 and opened with a 5-under-par 66. He is T6.