Kaupulehu-Kona, HI (My Sportsbook) - Tom Purtzer fired a 10-under-par 62 on Friday to take the first-round lead of the season-opening MasterCard Championship at Hualalai.

Allen Doyle birdied the final hole to join playing partner Jim Thorpe in second place at nine-under-par 63. Thorpe was tied for the lead until a bogey at the 17th at Hualalai Golf Club.

D.A. Weibring is alone in fourth place at eight-under 64.

This is the first event of the 2008 campaign on the Champions Tour and Purtzer took advantage of relatively calm conditions.

He flew out of the gate on Friday with back-to-back birdies at the first and second. Purtzer added another birdie at six, then eagled the par-five seventh to reach five-under for the championship.

He birdied the ninth to make the turn at six-under 30. That would not be the end of Purtzer's strong play on Friday.

At the 10th, Purtzer drained a seven-foot birdie putt to get within one of the lead at minus-seven. His 30-foot birdie putt at the next hole, the par-four 11th, tied him for the lead at the time.

Purtzer broke the tie with a 10-foot birdie putt at the 13th. That put him alone in the lead, but a six-footer for birdie at No. 15 padded his advantage to two.

With Thorpe, who played in one of the last groups Friday, charging, Purtzer could not get anything to fall in the final three holes. He missed a pair of 10-footers for birdie at 16 and 17 and failed to convert from 20 feet for a final birdie at 18.

Since this is the season-opener, Purtzer wasn't sure what to expect this week. He had an injection into a bothersome elbow last week as well, but found some relief thanks to his big stick.

"It's kind of a building week," acknowledged Purtzer. "I didn't feel like I was very prepared coming over here. I started hitting the ball solid. I hit the driver really good today. That was the key."

Thorpe recorded seven birdies and an eagle through the first 12 holes, then cooled a bit. He made three straight pars from the 13th, but sank a seven- footer for birdie at 16 to tie Purtzer in the lead.

At the par-three 17th, Thorpe missed the green left in lava. He appeared indecisive about how to hit his chip and ultimately advanced the ball a few feet with his second. Thorpe nearly holed his chip for par, but bogeyed the hole, then missed an eight-footer for birdie at the last that would have tied him for the lead.

Doyle, a two-time U.S. Senior Open-winner, did most of his damage on the back nine Friday. He tallied three birdies over the opening nine, then rattled off six birdies on the back to draw within one.

Two-time Champions Tour Player of the Year Jay Haas, John Harris, Mark McNulty, Eduardo Romero and Mark Wiebe are knotted in fifth place at minus- seven.

Jerry Pate, Bob Gilder, John Jacobs, Bernhard Langer, Brad Bryant, Tom Watson and Tom Jenkins share 10th place at six-under 66.

Defending champion Hale Irwin struggled on Friday. He only managed an even-par 72 and was one of six players in the 41-man field to fail to break par in the first round.