Pavin grabs early lead in Boca Raton

Boca Raton, FL – Corey Pavin fired an eight-under 64 Friday stroke lead after the opening round of the Allianz Championship.

Pavin, the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, is in his third season on the Champions Tour, but is still looking for his first tour victory.

Bernhard Langer carded a six-under 66 and was joined in second place by Peter Senior and Fred Funk.

Mark Brooks, Mark Calcavecchia, Chip Beck and John Huston are tied for fifth at minus-five on The Old Course at Broken Sound Club.

Pavin opened with a pair of pars before getting on the board with birdies at three and four. He cruised to four consecutive pars from the fifth before stumbling to a bogey on the par-four ninth.

Around the turn, Pavin flew up the leaderboard with a stellar run of golf.

The 52-year-old rolled in a birdie effort on No. 10 and followed with birdies on 11 and 12.

Pavin parred the 13th, but the 1995 U.S. Open champion kicked off another hot run with a birdie on the par-three 14th. He made it two straight with a four- footer at 15 and converted his third straight birdie on the par-three 16th.

Pavin, who is winless on the Champions Tour, got up and down for birdie from a greenside bunker at the last to end two clear of the field.

"It's been a good day. The front nine could have been a little bit better," Pavin admitted in a television interview as he played the 18th. "And then I got pretty warm on the back nine. I made a few putts and hit a few good shots. I like where I am now."

Langer got off to a flying start with three birdies in the first four holes. He cruised to eight consecutive pars from the fifth.

The 2010 champion birdied the 13th and 15th to move to minus-five. Langer birdied the 17th before a par at the last left him two back.

Senior played the back nine first on Friday and picked up birdies on 10 and 13. He parred the final five holes of his opening nine.

Around the turn, Senior had back-to-back birdies twice on the front nine. He did from the first and again from the sixth to grab a share of second.

Funk, who is playing for the first time since last July due to a pair of surgeries, birdied the first and third to open his round. After four pars in a row, he birdied the eighth and around the turn made another birdie on No. 10.

The 55-year-old moved to six-under with birdies on 13 and 15. He closed with three pars in a row to end at minus-six.

NOTES: Defending champion Tom Lehman mixed three birdies and two bogeys in a round of one-under 71, which left him tied for 40th...The only other past champion in the field is 2009 winner Mike Goodes, who shares ninth place at four-under 68.