Campbell in the Honda Driver's Seat By Associated Press - March 10, 2005 PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Chad Campbell warmed up as the weather did. The burly Texan overcame a slow start in chilly, windy conditions Thursday to shoot an 8-under-par 64 for a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the Honda Classic. Vijay Singh could only manage two birdies in his opening 1-under 71.Campbell began on the back nine shortly after 7 a.m., when temperatures were still in the 50s, and bogeyed Nos. 10 and 16. He then holed a 70-yard wedge on the par-5 No. 17, and on the front side he birdied six holes, including the last two with putts of 25 and 15 feet. Half of the 144-player field at the Country Club at Mirasol finished before noon. Among those early starters, only Campbell shot better than 69, a reflection of the conditions. ``We were joking that maybe they let him on the member course,'' said Davis Love III, who was happy to shoot 71. Alone in second place at 66 was Brett Wetterich, playing 10 minutes from his home in Jupiter. Jesper Parnevik, another Jupiter resident and the 2001 champion, shot 67 three days after turning 40. Both players benefited from mild afternoon weather. Skies were clear all day, but winds exceeded 15 mph at the start, and with the grass still spongy from daylong rain Wednesday, the 7,468-yard course played long. Taking practice swings on the driving range shortly after sunrise, when winds were strongest, Campbell said he shivered and geared himself for a tough day. ``It was freezing,'' he said. ``It got better, though. The first six or seven holes I was trying to be patient. Then I holed that shot at 17, which was my eighth hole, and kind of got things going.'' Campbell played the final 11 holes in 8 under. ``That has to be one of the best rounds this year, because I was pleased with my 67,'' Parnevik said. At 68 were Woody Austin, Nick Watney and Aaron Baddeley, who finished in the top 10 in his past two starts. A group of 14 players at 69 included defending champion Todd Hamilton, Lee Janzen, Brad Faxon and Kevin Na, at 21 the youngest player on the tour. Vijay Singh, playing his first round since he fell to No. 2 in the world rankings, shot 71. His six-month reign at No. 1 ended Sunday when Tiger Woods overtook him by winning the Ford Championships at Doral. Singh, the only player among the top six entered at the Honda, cannot regain the No. 1 ranking this week. Wetterich is back on the PGA Tour after being relegated to the Nationwide Tour the past two years. In an 11-year professional career he has one top-10 finish -- at the Honda in 2002. He obviously likes playing close to home. ``I've got a bunch of family with me, and it's nice to come out and shoot a good round for them,'' he said. Parnevik credited friends and relatives for providing a welcome distraction from golf to help him celebrate his birthday milestone. ``I flew in about 60 friends and family from Europe last week,'' the Swede said. ``We had a lot of parties over the weekend and a big party last Monday, so it has been a lot of fun.'' He and the rest of the field can have fun Friday chasing the 30-year-old Campbell, who made the Ryder Cup team for the first time last year and owns two tour titles. Touted as a future major champion, he won the season-ending Tour Championship in 2003 and will be the defending champion next week at the Bay Hill Invitational. ``He is very, very talented and probably very underrated,'' Love said. ``When he gets on a roll he's very tough. He can make more birdies than anybody when he's playing well.'' Campbell's best showing this year came Feb. 21, when he lost on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to Adam Scott at the Nissan Open -- the first 36-hole event on the PGA Tour in nine years. Campbell took last week off. ``Being rested and mentally ready to play helps you a lot,'' he said. ``If you're out there and you get tired, it's hard to keep things going.''