San Antonio, TX (My Sportsbook) - Russ Cochran and Keith Clearwater both fired rounds of five-under 66 on Friday to share the first-round lead of the AT&T Championship.

Tom Kite, Andy Bean, Mark O'Meara and Ben Crenshaw, with major titles between them, each shot four-under 67s in round one and are tied for third place at famed Oak Hills Country Club.

This is the final full-field event of the 2009 season on the Champions Tour. Next week is the Charles Schwab Cup Championship reserved for the top 30 players on the money list after this week.

Cochran is 23rd and while technically not a lock for next week's field, he's relatively safe. A good finish Sunday would certainly guarantee his spot at Sonoma.

Clearwater is 110th and won't be in next week's field, so he needs a big week to end his year.

He started on the 10th tee and wedged his third to eight feet at the par-five 10th. Clearwater drained that birdie effort, but a three-putt bogey at the 13th stalled his round.

That hiccup at 13 actually kick started a run that vaulted him up the leaderboard. Clearwater knocked a wedge to five feet to set up birdie at 13, then he ran home a 25-foot eagle putt at No. 15.

After a series of pars around the turn, Clearwater converted a six-foot birdie putt at three and a four-footer for birdie at four. He made it three straight birdies thanks to a bunker save at the par-five fifth.

Clearwater was six-under par, but got derailed at his last hole, the par-three ninth. His six-iron tee ball found a greenside bunker and Clearwater only blasted out to eight feet. He missed the par save, but still had a piece of the first-round lead.

"I've been having some problems with the putter," admitted Clearwater. "I've been hitting the ball well, but haven't putted. Today was a good sign for me. It's good when things go right."

Things went right for Cochran, too.

He also began on No. 10 and made birdie. Cochran missed an eight-foot par save at 12, but back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 allowed him to make the turn at minus-two.

Cochran hit a spectacular approach inside two feet at one. He tapped that in for birdie, then parred his next four in a row.

He made an 18-foot birdie putt at the sixth and had a decent look at birdie from 15 feet at the seventh. Cochran missed that putt, but holed a 15-footer for birdie at the next hole to join the lead.

"It seemed every time I hit a bad shot, things worked out for me," admitted Cochran. "I got away with shots I missed. I hit some crazy shots to start off, but they didn't hurt me."

Two-time defending champion John Cook, who won last week's Administaff Small Business Classic, posted a three-under 68 on Friday and is part of a large group tied for seventh place.

Senior Players Champion Jay Haas, Bob Tway, David Eger, Mike Goodes, Scott Simpson, Craig Stadler, Tim Simpson and Tradition winner Mike Reid joined Cook two strokes behind the leaders.