Australia's Geoff Ogilvy carded a six-under 67 on to claim the first-round lead of the USPGA Tour's season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship.

South African Ernie Els, Kenny Perry and Johnson Wagner were one shot back on 68 in the 5.6 million-dollar tournament, which features a field of 33.

Ogilvy, 31, nabbed three birdies on both sides of Kapalua's Plantation Course.

Els owned a one-shot lead midway through the first round as he moved to four-under through his first six holes.

He eagled the par-five third hole before a birdie at the sixth.

Els pushed his card to six-under with birdies at nine and 11, but gave a shot back at the par-five 15th.

Perry had an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys in his round, which he finished with a birdie on the par-five 18th.

Wagner scrambled to his 68, which included six birdies, three bogeys and an eagle at the last.

Davis Love, Steve Lowery, Sean O'Hair and Japan's Ryuji Imada shared fifth place on 69. Imada's round included a string of seven birdies in a row.

With Tiger Woods still working his way back from knee surgery, the focus will be on some of last season's breakthrough players to see if they can build on their momentum of 2008.

Anthony Kim, winner of last year's Wachovia Championship and ATandT National, and a key player on America's victorious Ryder Cup squad, birdied his final two holes to finish at two-under 71.

Fiji's Vijay Singh, who will undergo knee surgery following the completion of this tournament, shot an even-par round of 73. Singh won this tournament in 2007.

Defending champion Daniel Chopra of Sweden finished at seven-over 80, enduring a round that included three bogeys and four double-bogeys to go with four birdies.