Villegas ties record, takes first-round lead

The memory of a missed 3-foot putt did nothing to diminish Camilo Villegas's game Thursday in the Phoenix Open at Scottsdale, Ariz.

The 28-year-old Colombian tied the tournament first-round record with a 9-under 62 to take a 1-shot lead over former Florida teammate Matt Every.

Villegas regrouped with a bogey-free round Thursday after making the semifinals of the Match Play Championship last weekend, but missing the short putt that would have put him in the final. He beat Sergio Garcia in the third-place match.

Justin Rose, Mark Wilson, Ryuji Imada, Rickie Fowler and Pat Perez were 3 strokes back at 65 in near-perfect conditions at TPC Scottsdale. Phil Mickelson and defending champion Kenny Perry were in a large group at 68. Match Play champion Ian Poulter struggled to a 72. Playing the back nine first, Villegas wrapped up his round by chipping in from 21 feet on the par-4 ninth for his ninth birdie.

HSBC Champions: Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa birdied two of the final three holes for a 4-under 68 and a share of the first-round lead in the HSBC Champions at Singapore. Cristie Kerr, Angela Stanford and Hee Young Park also shot 68s. Kerr birdied five of the last six holes on Tanah Merah's Garden Course, Stanford had a bogey-free round, and Park overcame three bogeys with seven birdies. Ochoa won the 2008 tournament by 11 strokes, finishing at 20-under 268.

Ai Miyazato, the winner Sunday in the season-opening LPGA Thailand, was a stroke back along with Sophie Gustafson, Christina Kim and Song-Hee Kim.

Defending champion Jiyai Shin opened with a 71, and Michelle Wie had a 72.