St. Jude Classic pres. by FedEx: First-round notebook

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Jimmy Walker's opening round 65 is seventh sub-70 round in his last nine tries.

• A player holding at least a share of the first-round lead has won the St. Jude Classic 12 times in the tournament's 51-year history. Justin Leonard was the last to do so in 2005, when he parlayed an opening-round 62 into his 10thPGA TOUR title with a wire-to-wire victory. Phil Mickelson was the last 18-hole leader to win on TOUR, having done so at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship.

• The first-round 64 for Brian Gay was the lowest first 18-hole score since Chris Smith shot a 64 in 2006.

• Gay is making his 11th career start at the St. Jude Classic, his best previous finish being fourth in 2007.

• The 64 for Gay on Thursday was his career low at TPC Southwind -- he had previously recorded rounds of 66 on four previous occasions.

• Gay's 10-stroke victory at the Verizon Heritage earlier this year was the largest on the PGA TOUR since Phil Mickelson won the 2006 BellSouth Classic by 13 strokes. His win is the ninth in TOUR history (dating back to 1970 when records begin) with a double-digit winning margin. The list includes:

• Gay is the PGA TOUR's ironman, as he is playing in his 307th PGA TOUR event since the start of 2000, the most of any player on TOUR during that period.

• Gay, who won the Verizon Heritage earlier this year, is one of seven players in this week's field that would earn an exemption to next week's U.S. Open with a second win (since last year's U.S. Open) at the St. Jude Classic. The others that would gain entry with a win this week include:

Michael Bradley (2009 Puerto Rico Open), 70
Richard S. Johnson (2008 U.S. Bank Championship), 71
Jerry Kelly (2009 Zurich Classic of New Orleans), 67
Will MacKenzie (2008 Viking Classic), 74
Parker McLachlin (2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open), 74
Marc Turnesa (2008 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital Open), 70

• Last week, Mathias Gronberg (T3) ran away from the field on the 36-hole final day of the Melwood Prince George's County Open on the Nationwide Tour. He shot two bogey-free rounds of 67 and 65 to finish at 19-under par, six shots ahead of Robert Damron and Justin Bolli. His four-round total of 269 was a tournament record. Gronberg earned his TOUR card for 2009 via PGA TOUR Qualifying School last fall, but was not eligible for last week's Memorial Tournament, prompting the Nationwide Tour start.

• At TPC Southwind on Thursday, Nos. 17 (4.372) and 18 (4.308) played as the first- and second-most difficult. Overall on the day, the scoring average finished just over par at 70.750.

• World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Jose Maria Olazabal (T3), who has been troubled by rheumatism for some time, is making just his fourth start of the season on the PGA TOUR, his best finish being a T6 at the Verizon Heritage. Olazabal is playing this PGA TOUR season on a Major Medical Extension.

• Justin Leonard posted a 6-over-par 76 in defense of his St. Jude Classic title.

• Robert Allenby (T3) who finished P2 after losing to Justin Leonard in a playoff last year, sits T4 after a 3-under-par 67 start.

• Two-time St. Jude Classic champion David Toms (T8) opened with a 3-under-par 67, his 35th career round in the 60s at the St. Jude Classic. Toms has rebounded from a sub-par 2008 season with five top-10s, including a T2 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Toms is exempt into U.S. Open and British Open after missing the Masters in April.

• Despite posting two eagles (Nos. 3 and 15), Aaron Watkins posted an even-par 70 on Thursday.

• Making his first start since a T55 at THE PLAYERS, Phil Mickelson posted a 2-under-par 68 despite a double-bogey on his ninth hole, No. 18.