KAPALUA, Maui — On a day when Hawai'i's weather didn't know whether to bless the beginning of the PGA Tour season or blow it off the face of the West Maui mountains, it did neither.

Persistent squalls dampened the first round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship yesterday, but the wind that usually slaps Kapalua's Plantation Course silly was relatively ... well, not calm but consistent. Fresno State graduate Nick Watney appeared through the showers and seized the lead with a 5-under-par 68.

Four years ago, Watney, 26, was tapping in on a collegiate career at Fresno State where he became the first three-time Player of the Year in Western Athletic Conference history. He won his way onto the PGA Tour in 2005 via the Nationwide Tour and has made $3.7 million since, including a victory in last year's Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which brought him here.

Now he leads the opening event of 2008, which has 31 of last year's 35 champions.

"I think it's cool," said Watney, who has now shot par or better in 14 of his last 18 rounds. "In the offseason more I kind of reflect back and I think I've come a decent ways. But at the same time, this is where I want to be. I'm excited about the future."

Asked to define "decent ways" and the biggest change in him since he was a Bulldog, Watney smiled and said: "To be honest with you, it's just the amount of money I'm playing for."

Money here is $5.5 million — last place is $650,000 — and Watney's future is today. Daniel Chopra (69), born in Sweden and raised in India, is in hot pursuit. So are Jonathan Byrd, U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera and Aaron Baddeley, all at 70.

Mike Weir and 2007 Rookie of the Year Brandt Snedeker are another shot back. Snedeker might have been closer, but cracked his driver on the 17th tee — in the midst of pulling the ball into the weeds — and finished double-bogey, bogey.

Only 10 golfers could break par in conditions more irritating than impossible. No one avoided bogey, with Watney's one blemish coming on the seventh hole when he missed the green with a 9-iron in his hand. He more than made up with six birdies, the last from 30 feet on the 17th that gave him the lead. Watney missed just two fairways and greens all day, none on the back nine.

Chopra also had a lone bogey — "I hit it in the hay once, lost that ball, made bogey" — and sank four putts from outside 20 feet, including his bogey. He said he had to "manufacture nearly every shot" because of 25-mph winds that were the calmest he's seen all week.

"And then when the rain started coming in the last four, five holes you really had to pay attention and make sure you focused," Chopra said, "because you get one up in the air and it starts moving with the wind it'll be awhile before it lands somewhere in a canyon."

Snedeker's tribulations nearly nullified six birdies. Byrd and Weir had three bogeys apiece, and Cabrera and Baddeley two; both of Baddeley's came in the first six holes and he played the final five holes in 4-under, parring only the par-5 18th.

Of the dozen first-time winners here, four are in the top six (Watney, Chopra, Cabrera and Snedeker). That foursome also finished among the top five in putting yesterday, with Baddeley first and Byrd second.

WILSON, FUJIKAWA IN SONY PRO-JUNIOR SKILLS

Hawai'i's Dean Wilson and Tadd Fujikawa, and former Hawaiian and Sony Open winners Jim Furyk and Jerry Kelly will take four of the five professional slots at Tuesday's King Auto Group Pro-Junior Skills Challenge. The exhibition, part of Sony Open in Hawai'i week at Waialae Country Club, begins at 3 p.m. and admission is free.

The fifth pro will be named later, and his partner will be Punahou sophomore Bradley Shigezawa. Furyk will play with Punahou junior Alex Ching, who won the Pro-Junior last year with Michelle Wie and is this year's Sony Open amateur qualifier.

Baldwin High's Cassy Isagawa will team with Fujikawa, a Moanalua junior, and Kamehameha's T.J. Kua with Kelly. Moanalua's Kristina Merkle, the reigning Jennie K. Wilson champion, partners with Wilson.

All juniors are members of the Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association, a charity beneficiary of Friends of Hawai'i Charities, Inc., sponsor organization for the Sony Open. The HSJGA receives a $10,000 donation.

AUSTIN'S TEAM WINS PRO-AM WITH A 52

Woody Austin's team won Wednesday's Pro-Am by four shots, with a score of 52. Vijay Singh's team was second. Boo Weekley's, Charles Howell III's and Scott Verplank's teams shared third at 57.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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