Ogilvy fires as Weir sizzles

Geoff Ogilvy leads the Australian charge after the opening round of the Deutsche Bank Championship but Mike Weir stormed to the top of the leaderboard by firing a career-best 10-under-par 61.

The Canadian lefthander holed 10 birdies in a bogey-free round to take a three-shot lead in this year's second event of the FedEx Cup playoffs and tie the course record at TPC Boston.

It was the last thing that Weir, a 10-year veteran, expected following his late collapse last week at The Barclays.

"There was no indication on the putting green warming up that was going to tell me it was going to be like that," Weir said. "It was just one of those days where I made about a 15-footer on the first hole and another on the second hole, and then I had about eight feet on the third hole, and it looked easy after the first two."

The single-round record at this 7,304-yard course previously was held by Vijay Singh, who was the early leader Friday afternoon after carding a seven-under 64.

Ogilvy fired an opening four-under 67 in a solid performance but is still six shots off the pace.

Nick O'Hern and John Senden shot two-under 69s, while a large group including Adam Scott, Stuart Appleby, Jason Day, Robert Allenby and Matthew Goggin are at one-under.

Weir, 38, began his round in blistering fashion, birdying his first four holes and making the turn at six-under 30 after birdying the sixth and seventh. He continued his onslaught on the back nine, where he also birdied the 10th and 13th holes.

"I just built on that momentum and just kept doing the same thing, keep the pedal down, because I knew the scores were pretty low today," Weir said. "After making those putts, everything seemed to look easier."

"I just tried to stay in that frame of mind when I got to the green, just remembering the last putt." Weir, who still is winless on the PGA Tour this season, finished off his outstanding round in style with birdies at the par-four 15th and par-five 18th.

"It's been my goal the last month or so to get off to better starts in tournaments," he said. "It seems like I've been coming from behind all the way, even when I finished second at the Memorial (three months ago)."

Weir was in contention at The Barclays last week before a final-round 72 landed him two shots off the pace.

But courtesy of his exploits Friday, Weir is three strokes clear of a quartet of golfers. That group is headlined by Singh, last weekend's winner who entered this event with a 5,125-point lead atop the FedEx Cup standings.

Tied with Singh are John Merrick, Briny Baird and Heath Slocum.

Five days after outlasting Sergio Garcia in a playoff at The Barclays, Singh rebounded from a slow start along the back nine to sink five birdies in a six-hole stretch starting at the par-5 second hole.

"I have a great attitude on the greens," said Singh, who recently reverted to the mid-length belly putter after struggling for a while with a regular putter. "I just listen to my head, and my head's very positive. I think that's the best attitude you can have, just listen to your own mind."

As well as he putted, stellar iron play was perhaps the strongest part of Singh's game, with all