By Jeremy Harness

AP photo: Scott Piercy follows a shot below the fairway up onto the green of the Silverado Resort North Course during the first round of the Safeway Open golf tournament Thursday

NAPA–The story of the Safeway Open going into the tournament surrounded the disappointment of the sudden withdrawal of Tiger Woods, leaving many befuddled and scratching their heads.

Scott Piercy, who is not nearly as big a name as Woods, was not flying under the radar at the conclusion of Thursday’s opening-round events, as his blistering round left people’s heads scratching as well.

Piercy certainly had a round to remember on Thursday, posting a 10-under 62, which is good enough for a course record and a two-stroke lead.

Starting on the 10^th hole on Thursday, Piercy got off to a roaring start on his first nine holes, recording six birdies without a single bogey, including five birdies in a six-hole stretch.

He did come back down to earth during his second nine, as he dropped a pair of shots but kept the birdies rolling in.

With bad weather, including heavy rain as early as Friday and possibly through the weekend, getting ready to roll through the area, the key for the players is to get the birdies while the weather is still calm, and that is exactly what Piercy did.

As well as Piercy played, however, only two shots behind him is England’s Paul Casey, who made a big run in this past season’s FedEx Cup playoffs, which concluded only three weeks ago.

He kept himself in the running with a bogey-free 64, a round that featured eight birdies. He only hit six of the 14 fairways on Thursday, but that was easily overshadowed as he hit 17 of the 18 greens in regulation, giving him plenty of birdie opportunities throughout the round.

Meanwhile, another headliner of the week, Phil Mickelson, who was one of the heroes of the Ryder Cup won by Team USA two weeks ago, did not get off to as good a start. He finished his opening round with a three-under 69, which is still good for a tie for 22^nd.

He is currently tied with Emiliano Grillo, who won this tournament last year, also shot a three-under 69.