With only seven players breaking par in gusty conditions, Wilson shot even-par 70 and McLachlin a 3-over 73.

Wilson, a former Kaneohe resident and Castle High alum, had two birdies and two bogeys and is tied for eighth place, just three shots back of Adam Scott and Fredrik Jacobson.

Scott and Jacobson had the highest leading first-round score since Fuzzy Zoeller's 2-under 70 in 1986.

McLachlin, a former Honolulu resident and Punahou alum, had one birdie and four bogeys and is tied for 45th place.

The course is so much more difficult thanks to a redesign after David Toms won in 2004 at 16 under. The 7,239-yard course is so hard that only Winged Foot, site of last year's U.S. Open, ranked tougher on the tour in 2006.

Scott, ranked fourth in the world and the Shell Houston Open winner the week before the Masters, said it wasn't that surprising.

"The greens are tricky, not very big, and the pins were in quite difficult positions," said Scott, who had a double-bogey, bogey, eagle and four birdies. "So add the wind into that, you've got a tough day."

Jacobson took advantage of somewhat calmer conditions in the second threesome off No. 10. He had five birdies and two bogeys.

"Anybody that shoots under par today will be really happy with where they are at the moment, and I feel that I'm right where I want to be," Jacobson said.

A hot day that felt like it was 98 even with the wind only got worse with steady breezes gusting up to 32 mph. Picking the right club wasn't easy, and golfers had trouble steadying themselves over putts.

Retief Goosen and Brian Gay opened with 68s, and Scott Verplank, Gavin Coles and Duffy Waldorf shot 69s. John Daly, playing on a sponsor's exemption, was in group at even-par 70.

"It was really U.S. Open-type stuff," Verplank said. "Par was a good score on every hole. The conditions were so difficult with the wind blowing like that. (I'm) very happy to shoot under par."

Daly, who has withdrawn from three events this year, could have disintegrated after a triple-bogey on No. 12 where he hit into the lake twice. But he holed out from 53 feet from a greenside bunker on the par-3 14th for a birdie — one of five straight birdies that got him to 2 under. He bogeyed twice on his back nine to fall back.

"It's survival today. You never could get going because every hole is impossible. There's only two holes downwind, the other holes are crosswinds," he said.