First-round notebook: THE TOUR Championship

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ATLANTA -- Sean O'Hair posted a 4-under 66 on Thursday to take the opening-round lead at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, the final event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. He leads by one stroke over Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington. O'Hair, currently No. 7 in the FedExCup standings, is making his second start at THE TOUR Championship, having finished T12 as a rookie in 2005.

• This marks the fourth time in O'Hair's TOUR career that he has held at least a share of the 18-hole lead:

• The first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win just eight of 39 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this season, most recently Steve Stricker at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

• In the 22-year history of THE TOUR Championship, the first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win the tournament 10 times, with the last to do so being Bart Bryant in 2005. Bryant and Vijay Singh (2002) are the only players to have achieved this feat at East Lake Golf Club.

• The 2007 FedExCup champion and current points leader, Woods opened with a 3-under 67. The 71-time PGA TOUR winner is making his 12th start at THE TOUR Championship, with victories in 1999 and 2007 and runner-up finishes in 2000, 2004 and 2005.

• FedExCup scenario: If O'Hair wins THE TOUR Championship, Woods can still win the FedExCup with a solo second-place finish or two-way tie for second. He is currently in a three-way tie for second.

• Current projected FedExCup standings through the first round:

• Hometown favorite and 2009 British Open champion Stewart Cink opened with a 3-under 67, despite connecting on just five of 14 fairways in regulation. He is making his eighth start at THE TOUR Championship, with a 66 during the second round in 2007 his best effort in 29 overall rounds at the event and resulting in his best-ever finish (T11). Cink entered the week No. 26 in the FedExCup standings and is currently projected No. 8.

• Harrington is making his fourth start at THE TOUR Championship, with a T7 finish in 2005 his best effort. He opened with a 63 in 2007, one behind leader Tim Clark, en route to a T11 finish. The three-time major championship winner is still seeking his first victory of the season and enters this week with five consecutive top-10 finishes (dating to a T2 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, where he entered the event No. 142 in the FedExCup standings). He is the only player with top-10 finishes in each of the first three Playoff events.

• The 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover is making his third start at THE TOUR Championship (2005-29th, 2006-T8). After failing to break 70 in his first six rounds, he has now posted three consecutive rounds in the 60s at East Lake, including a 2-under 68 on Thursday.

• Marc Leishman and Luke Donald are the only players who played their way into THE TOUR Championship via the BMW Championship. Both opened with even-par 70s on Thursday.

• Leishman, a 2008 Nationwide Tour graduate, is the only rookie to advance to the final event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. His lone win on the Nationwide Tour came at the 2008 WNB Golf Classic, which is being contested this week in Midland, Texas. Andres Romero was the only rookie to advance to THE TOUR Championship in 2008, while Brandt Snedeker was the only rookie to advance in 2007. Both players went on to win Rookie of the Year honors in each respective season.

• Players who were ranked fifth or higher in the FedExCup standings coming into the week are assured of winning the 2009 FedExCup with a victory here this week. The list includes No.1 Tiger Woods (67, currently projected second in the FedExCup standings), followed by No. 2 Steve Stricker (70, projected third), No. 3 Jim Furyk (72, projected fifth), No. 4 Zach Johnson (70, projected sixth) and No. 5 Heath Slocum (73, projected seventh).

• Ten players are making their TOUR Championship debuts this week: Dustin Johnson (69), Steve Marino (69), Leishman (70), Nick Watney (70), John Senden (70), Y.E. Yang (71), Jason Dufner (71), Angel Cabrera (72), Brian Gay (72) and Kevin Na (73).

• Past champions of THE TOUR Championship and their first-round scores: 1999 and 2007 winner Woods (67), 2000 champion Phil Mickelson (73), 2001 winner Mike Weir (72) and 2004 champion Retief Goosen (69).

• Stricker (70) and Furyk (72) have now played in all 45 rounds of the PGA TOUR Playoffs, dating to the competition's inaugural start in 2007.

• Four players have started in all 12 Playoff events (Cink, Furyk, Hunter Mahan and Stricker).

• Despite opening with an even-par 70, Stricker still leads the TOUR with a career-best 29 rounds in the 60s in PGA TOUR Playoff events.

• Heath Slocum began the PGA TOUR Playoffs in 124th place. That's the furthest back in the standings of anyone to reach Atlanta in the first three years of the PGA TOUR Playoffs. He entered the week No. 5 in the FedExCup standings, and after a 3-over 73 on Thursday is now projected No. 7.

• Eight (of 30) players managed to break par on Thursday. By comparison, 24 did so in 2007 and five in 2008.

• There were no bogey-free rounds on Thursday.

• The par-4 13th played the toughest on Thursday with a 4.333 average. The par-5 ninth was the easiest at 4.600.