Late birdie blitz puts Furyk in early lead at Masters

The fans wanted to witness history, and Chad Campbell strove to supply it.

After the soft-spoken Texan set a Masters record by draining birdies on his first five holes Thursday and added four more on the back nine, the patrons shouted words of encouragement.

“63!” “One more!” “Get to 10!”

Campbell’s birdie on No. 16 got him to nine under par, but he retreated with bogeys on 17 and 18 for a still-sterling 65 that left him with the first-round lead and wanting more.

“Leaves you with a sour taste in tour mouth,” he said after falling two strokes shy of the course-record 63 -- but still five better than Tiger Woods.

On a warm and sunny day with barely a breeze, Woods’ favorite Sunday color ruled the opening round of the Masters. Red numbers blanketed the leaderboard.

Woods didn’t supply a single one because his name never appeared on the board. Woods was one over through eight holes and even through 12.

A birdie-birdie-birdie run was followed by a missed 10-foot birdie putt on 16 and a lip-out on 17. He bogeyed 18 with a poor approach from the fairway, leading to a 70 and a brief TV interview. Woods probably wanted to break the microphone over his surgically repaired knee.

“I knew the back nine could be had,” Woods said. “I was in position to shoot four or five under par.”

And how did his first major since reconstructive knee surgery in June feel?

“It felt the same,” he said. “I just sort of plodded along.”

Competitors such as Campbell, Jim Furyk (66) and Hunter Mahan (66) soared past him.

Padraig Harrington, trying to win a third consecutive major, shot a 69.

Larry Mize, 50, the 1987 Masters champ who has survived one cut here since 2001, shot 67. Greg Norman, now 54, missed a three-footer on No. 18 for a 69. Anyone interested in a Mize-Norman playoff rematch?

Campbell isn’t. Not after sinking all those birdies.

At 34, Campbell admits he has underachieved, having won only twice on tour since 2005. He went 2-1-0 as a captain’s pick for the victorious 2008 Ryder Cup team, but, “I haven’t done as much as I’d like to,” he said.

Campbell hails from a state of rich oil fields, but as an interview, he sometimes comes across as a dry well.

In a Q&A; on the PGA Tour’s website, he listed his favorite beverage as water and said he had “no idea” of the best shot of his career.

And it seemed appropriate Thursday that Campbell wore a white shirt and white hat with dark slacks. Playing partner Boo Weekley wore an orange cap with apparent hints of camouflage.

But Campbell came up with a good line Thursday afternoon, joking of the player-friendly conditions at Augusta National: “They felt sorry for us, I guess.”

The tee was up on No. 1, allowing Campbell to reach the uphill par four with a seven iron. Campbell also believed that Nos. 7, 10 and 11 were shortened and spoke of several generous pin positions.

“If you hit good shots,” he said, “you really got rewarded.”

Said Woods: “There’s no doubt, the tees were up. And the pins were maybe a yard easier than they normally are. And when you get warm conditions like this, the ball is flying and guys can get it down there.”

The conditions didn’t help Phil Mickelson, though, who shot a 73.

The course yielded a scoring average of 72.25 with 38 of 96 players breaking par. Last year those numbers were 74.18 and 18. The 2007 first-round scores were even worse: 76.19 and just nine players under par.

“It was,” said Mahan, who shot his 66 despite a double bogey on 11, “a perfect day to score.”

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tgreenstein@tribune.com