Tiger Woods hardly missed a fairway, a big improvement. Luke Donald hardly missed a putt, and that was far more rewarding yesterday at the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.

Donald set a tournament record by taking only 20 putts, which allowed him to tie a tournament record by opening with an 8-under 64 and a three-shot lead over a group that included Jim Furyk and Jason Day, who bogeyed his last two holes.

What seemed like a normal round at Muirfield Village turned extraordinary for Donald when he rapped in a 12-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-3 eighth hole, starting a streak of six consecutive birdies. He one-putted nine straight holes until a routine par on the 18th hole to match the lowest opening round at the Memorial.

"That doesn't happen very often," Donald said.

Even rarer is the sight of Woods spending so much time in the middle of the fairway.

Woods, using a driver with more loft, didn't miss a fairway until his 3-wood on the 18th hole deflected off a tree and landed in a bunker.

Scoring starts with the putter, however. Woods missed an 8-foot par putt on the final hole, and his other bogey came on a three-putt at the 13th. He had to settle for a 69, and few complaints.

"Everything felt pretty good to some degree," Woods said. "My swing felt good. Even my putting stroke felt good. A couple of bad pitches here and there, but overall, I felt like I controlled the ball well all day. With the wind blowing like this, you have to hit it flush. I did that all day. I didn't miss any shots."

Hawai'i's Parker McLachlin, a Punahou and UCLA alum, struggled to an 81.

TWO 66S TOP STATE FARM; WIE CARDS 70

Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 yesterday for a share of the first-round lead with fellow South Korean Jee Young Lee in the State Farm Classic at Springfield, Ill.

A five-time major winner, the 31-year-old Pak is seeking her first top-10 finish in 10 starts this year. If she does, it'll come against a field that features 49 of the LPGA Tour's top 50 money winners.

"Lately, my game's been getting pretty settled down — getting closer and closer each week," said Pak, who has finished no higher than 13th this year and is 44th on the money list.

Kris Tamulis opened with a 66, and Natalie Gulbis, Suzann Pettersen and Anja Monke shot 67s at Panther Creek . Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer were in a large group at 69. Hawai'i's Michelle Wie shot a 70.

Wie, a Punahou alum and a sophomore at Stanford, got to 4-under, but bogeyed her final two holes.

Wie, 19, playing her rookie year on the LPGA Tour, ranks No. 16 in money earnings so far this year. Through seven events, she has amassed $303,315.

NFL

NFLPA SETTLES SUIT WITH RETIRED PLAYERS

The NFL Players Association has reached a $26.25 million settlement with retired players who had successfully sued the union for cutting them out of lucrative marketing deals.

Hall of Fame cornerback Herb Adderley, who filed the suit, confirmed the settlement yesterday, telling The Associated Press that he's "elated that this thing is coming to a close."

"It's a great feeling and I'm happy to be a small part of it," said Adderley, who was traveling to Washington, D.C., where he was scheduled to appear at a press conference today to discuss the settlement.

NFLPA official George Atallah confirmed the settlement, which ends an appeal filed by the union in the case.

The settlement amount is close to the $28.1 million the NFLPA was ordered to pay after a federal jury ruled in favor of the players in November. The jury determined the union failed to include retired NFL players in deals with Electronic Arts Inc., the maker of the "Madden NFL" video game, and other companies.

The NFLPA had appealed the ruling in February.

AND WHAT'S MORE ...

The Arizona Cardinals have signed two-time Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson to a new five-year contract that runs through the 2013 season. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. ... Left tackle Joe Staley, a first-round pick in 2007, has agreed to a six-year contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers that will keep him with the club through 2017. ... Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth is pleading not guilty to DUI manslaughter charges from a fatal Miami car crash in which a pedestrian died. ... Ronald "Tex" Cauthen, whose son Steve was the last jockey to win the Triple Crown aboard Affirmed in 1978, died Monday at his farm in Walton, Ky. He was 77.