Quail Hollow Championship: First-round notebook

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Past Quail Hollow champions Tiger Woods and David Toms opened well, Woods (2007 with a 65 and Toms (2003) a 71.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tiger Woods extended his under-par streak at Quail Hollow Club to six rounds with a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday. Making his fourth start at the Quail Hollow Championship, Woods also posted his seventh round in the 60s (in 13 total rounds) and bested his career low at the event (66, second round, 2004). The 65 was Woods' best round since an identical second-round 65 at the 2008 Buick Invitational.

• Woods has won nine of 21 tournaments when opening with a round of 65 or better. In those events, he has failed to eventually finish in the top-5 just six times.

• The front-nine 6-under-par 30 for Woods (his final nine) matched the 9-hole front-nine record (Kirk Triplett, 2004, Round 1; Trevor Immelman, 2006, Round 1; Bill Haas, 2006, Round 1; Pat Perez, 2008, Round 3).

• The bogey-free first round for Woods was his second of 2009 (Round 4, World Golf Championships-CA Championship).

• In three previous starts at the Quail Hollow Championship, he won in 2007, tied for 11th in 2005 and tied for third in 2004.

• This marks the 24th career first-round lead/co-lead for Woods on the PGA TOUR, having won 13-of-23 previously.

• The only first-round leader/co-leader to go on to win the Quail Hollow Championship was Jim Furyk in 2006, when his first-round 68 was good for a four-way tie with Bill Haas, Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman.

• The first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win five of 17 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR in 2009, most recently Phil Mickelson at the WGC-CA Championship.

• With a birdie on No. 1 on Thursday, defending champion Anthony Kim is 7 under par in nine rounds on the hole in his career at the Quail Hollow Championship. En route to victory last year, Kim birdied the first hole all four days. Mickelson (Northern Trust Open) and Woods (Arnold Palmer Invitational) are the only two players to defend titles in 2009.

• Mickelson, who posted a 5-under-par 67 in the first round, has three top-10s in five trips at the Quail Hollow Championship, including a tie for third in 2007. His 67 on Thursday was one off his career low at Quail Hollow, a final-round 66 in 2005.

• Mickelson posted just his second bogey-free round at Quail Hollow Club (Round 4, 2004), aided by a miracle up-and-down wedge-putt for par on the 18th after hitting his second shot into an immovable obstruction. The wedge shot from 68 yards was measured at 2 feet, 8 inches.

• Mickelson can take over No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking with a victory this week, if Woods finishes lower than fourth. Woods has been No. 1 for 203 consecutive weeks and No. 1 for 545 weeks in his career.

• Jason Dufner birdied five of his final six holes (Nos. 4-5-7-8-9) to post a 5-under-par 67 in the first round. Dufner is coming off a tie for ninth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

• Robert Allenby (5-under-par 67) looks to start a new streak after missing the cut at the Verizon Heritage. Allenby had made 33 consecutive cuts dating back prior to the Verizon Heritage, his last missed cut being the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii.

• Bogey-free rounds on Thursday came from Woods (65), Mickelson (67), Allenby (67), Lucas Glover (68) and Bo Van Pelt (69).

• Among past Quail Hollow Championship winners, 2008 champ Anthony Kim opened with a 70, 2007 champ Woods had a 65, 2006 champ Jim Furyk carded a 71, 2005 champ Vijay Singh had a 76 and 2003 champ David Toms had a 71.

• The 18th hole at Quail Hollow Club played most difficult on Thursday, averaging 4.340. The field posted a total of 11 double bogeys and two "others."

• Fresh off his win last week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Jerry Kelly carded an even-par 72 in Thursday's first round.

• Bubba Watson's first-round 71 included a stretch of four consecutive birdies (Nos. 4-7).

• Despite a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 18th hole (his ninth hole), Sergio Garcia recovered on his final nine to finish at 1-under-par 71.

• Playing on a Sponsor Exemption this week, former Clemson star Charles Warren posted a first-round 69 despite a double bogey 6 on No. 18. He finished 130th on the TOUR money list last year and is playing out of the No. 125-150 category in 2009.

• Jeff Maggert (4-under-par 68) has struggled early this season, with just three made cuts in 10 previous starts. His lone top-10 (tie for 10th at the FBR Open) was his first since a tie for fifth at the 2007 U.S. Bank Championship. Last year, Maggert (No. 163) finished outside the top 125 on the PGA TOUR money list for the first time in his career, having played the TOUR full-time since 1991.

• Four players withdrew on Thursday. Mark Turnesa withdrew after eight holes due to a neck injury, Scott McCarron withdrew after nine holes due to injury, Kevin Na withdrew due after a first-round 78 due to an undisclosed injury and Brad Adamonis withdrew after eight holes due to a wrist injury.