<table> </table> The 31st player in the field got off to the quickest start when Hunter Mahan opened with an eagle and added eight birdies on a round that finished at 9-under 62. It was good for a 4-stroke lead at The Barclays in Paramus, N.J., the first of three tournaments leading to the FedEx Tour Championship.“I was surprised to shoot so low,” Mahan said. “I didn’t have any idea what was going to be a good score out here. ... It’s definitely not that easy. It’s perfect conditions. You’ve got great weather. The course is in perfect shape right now. Playing in the morning helped a lot.”Two weeks ago in the PGA at Oakland Hills, Mahan, a 26-year-old former Oklahoma State player, shot 81-79 and missed the cut. He then made news with critical remarks about the Ryder Cup in a Golf magazine interview.Mahan, trying to earn a spot on the Ryder Cup team as one of Paul Azinger’s four captain’s picks, hit 11 of 14 fairways, 15 greens in regulation and needed only 23 putts.Woody Austin opened with a 1-over 72. Tom Pernice Jr. shot a 73, and Michael Letzig of Richmond, Mo., shot a 77.England’s Paul Casey shot a 66, and Bo Van Pelt, Kevin Streelman, Mathew Goggin, Charley Hoffman and Dudley Hart had 67s.<hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> Champions Tour •Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Wash.•Fred Funk, who finished second at the U.S. Senior Open and won the Tradition last week, is the marquee player this week. He had 26 birdies in four rounds last week.LPGA Tour •Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore.•There will be 28 of the tour’s top 30 money winners, including Lorena Ochoa, who won the tournament in 2007. It is the last year it will be played at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.</div>

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Posted on Thu, Aug. 21, 2008 10:15 PM

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Hunter Mahan opens with 9-under 62 in first tournament of the FedEx Championship.

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The 31st player in the field got off to the quickest start when Hunter Mahan opened with an eagle and added eight birdies on a round that finished at 9-under 62. It was good for a 4-stroke lead at The Barclays in Paramus, N.J., the first of three tournaments leading to the FedEx Tour Championship.

“I was surprised to shoot so low,” Mahan said. “I didn’t have any idea what was going to be a good score out here. ... It’s definitely not that easy. It’s perfect conditions. You’ve got great weather. The course is in perfect shape right now. Playing in the morning helped a lot.”

Two weeks ago in the PGA at Oakland Hills, Mahan, a 26-year-old former Oklahoma State player, shot 81-79 and missed the cut. He then made news with critical remarks about the Ryder Cup in a Golf magazine interview.

Mahan, trying to earn a spot on the Ryder Cup team as one of Paul Azinger’s four captain’s picks, hit 11 of 14 fairways, 15 greens in regulation and needed only 23 putts.

Woody Austin opened with a 1-over 72. Tom Pernice Jr. shot a 73, and Michael Letzig of Richmond, Mo., shot a 77.

England’s Paul Casey shot a 66, and Bo Van Pelt, Kevin Streelman, Mathew Goggin, Charley Hoffman and Dudley Hart had 67s.

Champions Tour
•Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Wash.

•Fred Funk, who finished second at the U.S. Senior Open and won the Tradition last week, is the marquee player this week. He had 26 birdies in four rounds last week.

LPGA Tour
•Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore.

•There will be 28 of the tour’s top 30 money winners, including Lorena Ochoa, who won the tournament in 2007. It is the last year it will be played at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

| Star News Services

Posted on Thu, Aug. 21, 2008 10:15 PM

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