Round 1 Notebook: HP Byron Nelson Championship

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Weather: Partly cloudy. High of 87. Winds SSW 10-15 mph.

• Play was suspended due to threatening weather at 10:47 a.m. and resumed at 2:31 p.m. Play was eventually called due to darkness at 8:29 p.m. with 66 players yet to complete their round. The first round will resume at 7:15 a.m., with second-round tee times beginning at 8:15 a.m. It represents the first weather delay at the HP Byron Nelson Championship since a 20-minute delay on day two in 2003.

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Leaderboard
Scorecard: Day
Scorecard: Durant
Live Report: Round 1
Photos: Round 1

• Australian Jason Day, a 22-year-old resident of Fort Worth, Texas, and Joe Durant, a 45-year-old native of Pensacola, Fla., opened the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship with 4-under 66s to share the clubhouse lead. At the time of the suspension, Steve Elkington (thru 16 holes), Hunter Mahan (thru 15 holes) and Jarrod Lyle (thru 11 holes) were also at 4-under.

• Day is making his 13th start of the season and currently sits at No. 136 on the FedExCup points list. After a slow start to the season, he has posted all three of his top-25 finishes in his last five starts on TOUR, finishing T25 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, T22 at the Verizon Heritage and T22 at the Quail Hollow Championship.

• Joe Durant stood at 1-over through 15 holes before an eagle-eagle-birdie finish on Nos. 7-9 to finish at 4-under 66. The last player on the PGA TOUR with back-to-back eagles was Phil Mickelson in the third round of the 2010 Masters Tournament (Nos. 13-14).

• Durant is making his seventh start of the season, with four made cuts and a season-best runner-up finish at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He is currently No. 134 on the FedExCup points list.

• A look at the five players tied at 4-under and their best finish at the HP Byron Nelson Championship:

• The first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win just three of 20 stroke-play events on the PGA TOUR this season: Ryan Palmer (Sony Open in Hawaii), Dustin Johnson (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) and Jason Bohn (Zurich Classic of New Orleans).

• First-round leaders have not fared well at the HP Byron Nelson Championship over the previous 56 playings of the tournament. Only seven players have carried the opening-day lead on to victory, including Scott Simpson (1993), Tom Watson (1979-80), Mark Hayes (1976), Chi Chi Rodriguez (1972), Earl Stewart (1961) and Don January (1956). Only two have won the tournament in wire-to-wire fashion -- Hayes in 1976 and Watson in 1980. (Note: Complete first-round scores are not available for the inaugural event in 1944, which was won by Byron Nelson).

• Defending champion Rory Sabbatini opened with a 2-under 68 in his attempt to become the first repeat winner of the HP Byron Nelson Championship since Tom Watson won three in a row from 1978-80. Sabbatini is making his 12th start at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, with a win in 2009 and T3 in 2007 his best outings.

• Australian James Nitties (Dallas resident) opened with a 2-under 68 on Thursday. Last year, he shared the lead with Ken Duke after an opening-round 65 in his inaugural appearance at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. He went on to finish 12th.

• U.S. Junior Amateur Champion Jordan Spieth, 16, currently stands at even-par through 11 holes.

• Five past champions of the HP Byron Nelson Championship are competing this week, including defending champion Rory Sabbatini (68), 2007 champion Scott Verplank (70), 2006 champion Brett Wetterich (70), 2005 champion Ted Purdy (75) and 2003 winner Vijay Singh (2-over thru 15 holes).

• 2007 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner Scott Verplank (70) is making his 24th start at the tournament. Just three players have made more starts (28 - Lanny Wadkins, Tom Watson; 27 -- Ben Crenshaw).

• Corey Pavin, who is attempting to become the first player to win all four Texas Swing tournaments during his career on the PGA TOUR, is currently 1-under through 11 holes. Pavin's victories in the Lone Star State include the 1984 Shell Houston Open, 1985 and 1996 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and the 1988 Valero Texas Open.