Pádraig Harrington shot a four-under round of 68, leaving him in a four-way tie for the lead after the opening round of the PGA Tour Champions' SAS Championship.
Harrington made five birdies in his round, dropping only the one shot, that on the 15th, to join Robert Karlsson, Chad Campbell and Stewart Cink at the head of affairs.
Darren Clarke had a horrible start to his round, two doubles and two bogeys part of the story that ended with him carding a 78.
The SAS Championship is the final event before the Champions' three-event play-off to determine the winner of the Charles Schwab Cup. The top 72 players in the Charles Schwab Cup points standings after this weekend will advance to the first playo-ff event, the Dominion Energy Charity Classic next weekend.
Cink and Harrington combined to win The Open Championship in three consecutive years, with Harrington winning it 2007 and '08 before Cink won it in 2009 in a famed playoff with then-59-year-old Tom Watson.
Echoing the sentiments of most of the field, Harrington pointed out the biggest challenge on the course: the greens.
"I think they're as fast as you could possibly get them," said the Dubliner, seeking his 12th career Champions win.
"Yeah, no, they're the fastest greens, I'd say as fast as I've ever putted on anywhere at any stage at any time."
He added, "The goal today was hit as many fairways and as many greens as you could. Obviously just eliminate the stress of those three or four-footers with the pace of the greens."
