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By Joan Alexander
PGA TOUR Staff

AKRON, Ohio -- The 3-under 67 by leaders Hunter Mahan and Paul Casey becomes the highest first-round leading score since this event became a World Golf Championships event in 1999. Previous high scores by first-round leaders were 66s carded by Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Henrik Stenson in 2005 and also by Woods in 1999.

Chad Campbell sent the turf flying Thursday at Firestone. (Mark Duncan/AP)

HIGHEST SCORING AVERAGES

AT FIRESTONE SINCE 1999

Year Round Average 1999 4 72.732 2007 1 72.181 2001 4 72.027 2003 4 72.341 2005 1 71.930

• Complete Coverage

• The first-round scoring average of 72.181 is the highest first-round average at Firestone Country Club since the Bridgestone Invitational became a World Golf Championships tournament. Before Thursday, the highest first-round average was 71.930.

• Thirteen players posted an under-par score on Thursday, eight from the morning wave and five from the afternoon groupings. In 2005, there were only 12 players under par after round one, the lowest total for a first round.

• Hunter Mahan is one of 21 first-time participants in this week's Bridgestone Invitational. He posted a first-round 3-under-par 67 to share the lead with Paul Casey and Rory Sabbatini. Mahan is also one of 12 players teeing it up for the first time at a World Golf Championships event.

• This is the third time in the last seven weeks on TOUR that Hunter Mahan has held/shared the first round lead. Last week at the Canadian Open he opened with a 9-under 62 to lead by two. He went on to finish tied for fifth. In mid-June he captured his first TOUR title in a playoff over Jay Williamson at the Travelers Championship, after he opened with an 8-under 62, giving him a two-stroke lead.

• No golfer may be hotter than Hunter Mahan over the past two months. He has six consecutive top-20 finishes, including a win, and has moved from 106th to 13th in the FedExCup standings.

• Earlier this year, Paul Casey shared the first-round lead with Vaughan Taylor and Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The only other time in his career he has held /shared a first round lead on TOUR was at the 2004 Open Championship; after opening with a 5-under 66, he shared the lead with Thomas Levet at Royal Troon

• Rory Sabbatini has held five previous first-round leads on the PGA TOUR, including sharing in the first-round lead at the 2007 PLAYERS Championship with Phil Mickelson.

• Players from 20 different countries teed it up in the first round Thursday, with the United States leading the way with 33 players. Australia has 10 players competing, followed by England and South Africa, with seven each. Argentina (2), Canada (2), China (1), Denmark (1), Fiji (1), France (2), India (1), Ireland (2), Japan (1), New Zealand (1), Northern Ireland (1), Scotland (1), South Korea (2) Spain (3), Sweden (4) and Thailand (1) are the other countries represented.

• Tiger Woods (68) now has 21 rounds in the 60s in 29 trips around Firestone Country Club's South Course. Every year he has opened with a round in the 60s at the Bridgestone Invitational.

• Tiger Woods is the only player to record top 10s in all eight Bridgestone Invitationals. Since the tournament's inception in 1999, he has never finished lower than fourth (1-1-1-4-T4-T2-1-1).

• Last week's winner, Jim Furyk, withdrew Thursday morning due an injury to his upper back and ribs. Furyk, who moved to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the Canadian Open last week, has posted six top-10 finishes at the Bridgestone Invitational. Furyk will share 84th and 85th -place money with Fred Couples, who qualified for the Bridgestone Invitational but elected not to participate due to injury, and the money will go to charity.