AUGUSTA, Ga. – Chad Campbell figures that somewhere along the way he has probably made five birdies in a row before on the PGA Tour. He just can't remember the time or place.

Rest assured that this time he won't forget when and where it happened.

Campbell started with birdies on the first five holes at Augusta National Golf Club – an opening string unparalleled in Masters’ history Thursday – and went on to shoot 65. At 7-under-par, he’s the leader by one stroke after the opening round.

Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan are at 66, followed by Larry Mize, the 1987 Masters champion, and Shingo Katayama of Japan at 67.

Campbell made the turn in five-under-par 31 and nearly matched his opening run by adding four more birdies in succession beginning at the par 3 12th hole. He parred the 16th hole to remain at nine-under. The record for lowest 18-hole score in major championships history is 63. A par-par finish would have tied the mark for Campbell. Another birdie would have given him 62. Instead, he made bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes, closing with a three-putt at the last.

The nine birdies by Campbell were one shy of the Masters single round record, set by Nick Price in 1986 during his third-round 63. In 1956, Ken Venturi birdied the first four holes in the first round.

"It’s always nice to make a couple of birdies to start, much less five," Campbell said. "You can't get too excited after five holes. You have a lot of golf left. I was trying to hit good golf shots to try to give myself as many opportunities as I could. There were some birdies to be made out there but if you hit a couple of bad shots, you can make bogeys out there as well."

Sadly, Campbell discovered the truth in that final remark.

Campbell said thoughts of records – including the course record of 63 – flashed through his mind. Nick Price (1986, third round) and Greg Norman (1996, first round) share the Masters record of nine-under-par.

"It’s always in the back of your head as you're making birdies and you know you've got 13 and 15 – the par 5s," Campbell said. "Just somewhere in there, and kind of hard to say where exactly I thought about it. But the fans did a good job of reminding me.

"They were yelling everything. ‘One more, get to 10, 63.’ It was good, though. Glad to see them behind me."

Campbell is playing in his sixth Masters. He was the second round leader in 2006 after rounds of 71-67 for four-under-par. He eventually finished tied for third behind Phil Mickelson. He also has a runner-up in a major championship, at the 2003 PGA Championship behind Shaun Micheel.

"Obviously I’m happy that I'm in the lead, but definitely never want to finish the round with two bogeys," Campbell said. "Kind of leaves a little bit of a sour taste in your mouth. I still feel like I'm playing well, and just kind of keep it going. There's a lot of golf to be played."

Defending champion Trevor Immelman opened his title defense with 71.

Tiger Woods, a four-time Masters Champion, almost accomplished something he’s never done at Augusta National – break 70 in the opening round.

Woods was at three-under-par before a bogey at the 18th, where he flew his second shot over the green and could not get it up-and-down to save par.

It is the fourth time Woods has opened the tournament with 2-under 70. On each of the three previous occasions – 1997, 2001 and 2002 – he went on to win a Green Jacket.

"A score could have been had out there," Woods said. "You could definitely go get it."

One of the central themes of this year’s Masters is the bid by Irishman Padraig Harrington to win a third straight major. The winner of last year’s British Open and PGA Championship opened with what he identified as a "satisfying" 3-under-par 69.

"It was a day for scoring," Harrington said. "It is impressive the way the golf course was set up for scoring. Today was definitely one of the more generous days ever around Augusta and you’ve got to feel that it’s going to get a little bit tougher as we go on the next three days."

The weather conditions also were ideal – "a nice sunny day with no wind," Harrington said.

Mize is another who took advantage of the picture-perfect setting. Mize shot 67, matching his third-best ever score at Augusta National. He shot 65 in the final round in 1986 and 66 in the third round five years later. In his victory year, Mize shot 70-72-72-71—285 and won a three-way playoff against Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman.

"You need to be mentally tough and mentally focused on this golf course," Mize said. "I did a good job today. I guess it turned back the clock a little bit.

"The setup was such where if you played well, you could shoot a good number. It’s still a hard golf course."

The 66 by Furyk was his best ever score at Augusta National. He has twice finished fourth at the Masters (1998, 2003) and tied for sixth in 2001.

"The key really was I hit a lot of really good iron shots and kept the ball in play with my driver," Furyk said. "I made enough putts, but I hit a lot of really close shots on that back side. I had two birdie putts inside three feet and I knocked it pretty close on 16. I didn't have to knock in a bunch of bombs or anything to shoot the score I did. I just kept the ball in front of me very well."

The conditions suit Furyk’s style and approach.

"When the conditions are firm and fast and the ball is scooting and running, I think it becomes a very fun golf course to play, because there's a lot that can happen and a lot of different avenues and shots that you can hit out here," said Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion.