Chevron World Challenge: First-round notebook

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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Jim Furyk fired a 4-under 68 Thursday in Round 1 of the 2008 Chevron World Challenge to take a two-shot lead over Boo Weekley and K.J. Choi. ...

• Although Furyk did not win an official event in 2008, he otherwise had a spectacular year with nine top-10s, which included a pair of third-place finishes and a runner-up finish at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. ...

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K.J. Choi led the field in driving accuracy by hitting 12 of 13 fairways on Thursday.

• Furyk has previously been atop the leaderboard after Round 1 at Sherwood Country Club three times. In 2007, he fired a 4-under 68 to sit atop the leaderboard, later to finish the tournament in third place. In 2004, an opening-round 67 put him in a tie for first, and in 2002, he led after shooting 8-under 64 in Round 1. ...

• While Furyk's 68 was good enough for the first-round lead, he was unable to capitalize on the par 5s. He was unable to make a birdie on any of the five par 5s at Sherwood Country Club. ...

• Furyk has had at least a share of the first-round lead on the PGA TOUR 18 times. Of those 18 times, he has converted just four into victory. ...

• Furyk's 68 is just two strokes off the highest first-round leader's score. In 2003, Davis Love III led after Round 1 with a 2-under 70. ...

• Weekley fired a 2-under-par 70 to get within two of Furyk's first-round lead. While having successfully defended his Verizon Heritage title, he amassed an additional four top-10 finishes in 2008. ...

• Choi, playing in just his second Chevron World Golf Challenge, also fired a 70 to put himself in good position headed into Round 2. Choi, who finished sixth at Sherwood Country Club in 2003, led the field in driving accuracy by hitting an impressive 12 of 13 fairways. ...

• Four players are making their Chevron World Challenge debuts this year. They are: Weekley (70), Hunter Mahan (71), Anthony Kim (71) and Camilo Villegas (74). ...

• Although Mahan is the only one of the four first-timers at this year's Chevron World Challenge who didn't win on the PGA TOUR in 2008, he had a solid year otherwise. Backed with five top-10 finishes, including a tie for second at the Travelers Championship, Mahan played his way on the victorious American team in the Ryder Cup and played in all four PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup events. ...

• The scoring average for Round 1 was 72.630. ...

• A total of 16 players teed it up in the first round of the Chevron World Challenge. Of those 16, seven combined for 11 wins on the PGA TOUR in 2008. ...

• This marks the ninth consecutive year Sherwood Country Club has hosted this event. In its inaugural year of 1999, it was contested at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. ...

• Besides Tiger Woods, who has won the Chevron World Challenge four times, only Love has won this event more than once (2000 and 2003).