Watney surprise leader in Hawaii

American Nick Watney benefited from a late stumble by compatriot Brandt Snedeker to snatch a one-shot lead in the Mercedes-Benz Championship first round.

Making his debut in the winners-only event, Watney upstaged some of the biggest names in the game by firing a five-under-par 68 on the hilly Plantation Course at the Kapalua Resort.
   
The 26-year-old Californian piled up six birdies, his last with a 30-foot putt on the 17th to take the outright lead, against a lone bogey in blustery, wet conditions to take charge of the PGA Tour's opening event of 2008.
   
"I putted very well and I kept it really simple," Watney told reporters after ending the day a stroke in front of Swede Daniel Chopra. "I just hit to a lot of the middle of the greens and tried to take what they gave me.
   
"It was a very steady day and I'm very pleased but, at the same time, it's the first day of the first tournament of the year, so we've got a long ways to go."
   
Australian Aaron Baddeley birdied four of the last five holes for a 70, matching US Open champion Angel Cabrera and American Jonathan Byrd in the tournament which brings together the title holders from the previous PGA Tour season.
   
Snedeker, battling to shrug off a lingering bout of flu, dropped three shots in the last two holes for a 71 to finish level with 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir.
   
Canadian Stephen Ames, who struck the opening drive of the season, American left-hander Steve Flesch and South African Rory Sabbatini were a further stroke back after carding 72s.
   
Snedeker, the 2007 PGA Tour rookie of the year, had led by a stroke before running up a double-bogey six at the 17th after missing the fairway to the left off the tee with a cracked driver.
   
Forced to use his three-wood twice on the 663-yard par-five last, he signed off with a bogey after three-putting.
   
Among the big names, world number three Jim Furyk and defending champion Vijay Singh opened with 74s.
   
Masters champion Zach Johnson battled to a 76 while fellow American Paul Goydos propped up the leaderboard with a poor 81.

Collated first round scores in the USPGA Tour Mercedes-Benz Championship, Kapalua Plantation GC, Hawaii, United States of America
(USA unless stated, par 73):

68 Nick Watney

69 Daniel Chopra (Swe)

70 Aaron Baddeley (Aus), Angel Cabrera (Arg), Jonathan Byrd

71 Mike Weir (Can), Brandt Snedeker

72 Rory Sabbatini (Rsa), Steve Flesch, Stephen Ames (Can)

73 Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker, Justin Leonard, Woody Austin, Scott Verplank

74 Vijay Singh (Fij), George McNeill, Jim Furyk, Charles Howell III, Mark
Wilson

75 Charley Hoffman, Chad Campbell, Mark Calcavecchia, Joe Ogilvie, Fred Funk

76 Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson (Swe), Brian Bateman

79 KJ Choi (Kor)

80 Boo Weekley

81 Paul Goydos