Mayakoba Golf Classic: First-round notebook

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- Bo Van Pelt matched his career-low round on the PGA TOUR with a 63 to take a two stroke lead after the first round. Van Pelt scorched the front nine (he started on No. 10) with a tournament-record 28, which included seven birdies. His other 63 came at the 2002 Greater Milwaukee Open.

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Chris Riley became the first player to eagle the 386-yard par-4 17th hole.

Inside the Numbers

18-Hole Leaderboard

Player Score 1. Bo Van Pelt 63 -7 T2. Chris Riley 65 -5 T2. Jarrod Lyle 65 -5 T4. J.P. Hayes 66 -4 T4. J.J. Henry 66 -4 T4. Scott Piercy 66 -4 T4. Mark Wilson 66 -4 T4. Cameron Beckman 66 -4 T4. Pablo Larrazabal 66 -4

• Looking for his first PGA TOUR victory, Van Pelt has held the first-round lead three previous times in his career, including the 2008 Buick Open (tied for 17th), the 2008 Puerto Rico Open (tied for second) and the 2004 U.S. Bank Championship (tied for seventh).

• Chris Riley shot a 5-under 65 to hold the lead after the morning wave. Riley won the 2002 Reno-Tahoe Open and played in the 2004 Ryder Cup, but has registered only two top-10 finishes since 2004. He has missed three straight cuts on TOUR, including in his only two starts this season and his final event of 2008 at the Ginn sur Mer.

• Playing in his 32nd PGA TOUR event, Jarrod Lyle is looking for his first top-10 finish. Lyle is tied for second after shooting a 5-under 65.

• To be successful at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, Driving Accuracy is a must. Last year's champion Brian Gay finished 17th in TOUR Driving Accuracy in 2008, while 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic winner Fred Funk ranked second in TOUR Driving Accuracy that season.

• Scott Piercy, who shot a 4-under 66 in the first round (tied for fourth), is tied for 181st in TOUR Driving Accuracy and third in TOUR Driving Distance (305.8). Rookie Gary Woodland shot a 1-under 69 and is tied for 31st. Woodland is 175th in TOUR Driving Accuracy and second in TOUR Driving Distance.

• Along with defending champion Gay, four players in the field are among the top 10 on the PGA TOUR in Driving Accuracy -- Mark Brooks, David Toms, Olin Browne and Gay. Another, Chris DiMarco, led the field in that category last week at the Northern Trust and finished tied for 13th.

• After the first-round, four players are tied for the top Driving Accuracy after hitting 14 of 14 fairways. They are: Jarrod Lyle 65 (-5) tied for second; J.J Henry 66 (-4) tied for fourth; Pablo Larrazabal 66 (-4) tied for fourth; and Notah Begay III 68 (-2) tied for 20th.

• Defending champion Gay shot a 2-under 68. Gay is off to a solid start in 2009, recording four top-20 finishes in his first four starts, with top-10s at the Sony Open in Hawaii and FBR Open. Gay played in 292 PGA TOUR events without a win prior to capturing the 2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun by two strokes.

• El Camaleón Golf Club, designed by 2009 Presidents Cup International Team Captain Greg Norman, was ranked No. 14 among most-difficult courses on the PGA TOUR in 2008 (71.00). The par-4 third hole (462 yards) was ranked 22nd among the toughest holes on TOUR last year (4.385).

• J.P. Hayes' 4-under 66 Thursday was just his second round in the 60s in his last 10 rounds. Hayes has missed the cut in 20 of his last 26 events. Like Riley, Hayes' last win came in 2002 (John Deere Classic).

• Riley is the first player in tournament history to eagle the 386-yard par-4 17th hole.

• Spaniard Larrazabal finished the day at 4 under and is tied for fourth. Larrazabal finished 30th on the European Tour Order of Merit in 2008. He was named the European Tour's Rookie of the Year on the strength of a four-stroke victory over Angel Cabrera and Colin Montgomerie in the Open de France.

• Alex Cejka (back), Troy Kelly (back) and Jason Gore (back) both withdrew following the first-round.