Chad Campbell Takes Lead at Masters With Record Five Birdies Despite Course Complaints

With a record five birdies on the first five holes, Chad Campbell took the lead at the Masters Tournament in the first round of play on Thursday.

Campbell finished the day at seven under par 65, followed by Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan at six under par 66. Shingo Katayama and Larry Mize, an Augusta native, came in at five under par 67.

It was a day of low scores, despite complaints by Tiger Woods and other golfing legends that the lengthening of the course at Augusta National by 500 yards in the last decade had hurt the game, making those low scores far more difficult, especially on the back nine.

Billy Payne, the chairman of Augusta National, meanwhile, has said the course still needs a proper test in good weather, since high winds plagued the last rounds in both the 2007 and 2008 tournaments, the first since the last substantial changes were made in 2006.

The second round of play begins today.