PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Adam Scott began the final major of the year with a tee shot deep into the trees. He ended the opening round of the PGA Championship by having to gouge out of deep rough. It was the golf in between that was some of the best he has ever played, even for an Australian with a green jacket. Showing that hes not satisfied as only being a Masters champion, Scott ran off five straight birdies early in his round Thursday on soft and vulnerable Oak Hill, and a 15-foot par putt at the end gave him a 5-under 65 and a share of the lead with Jim Furyk. "Probably the best run Ive ever had," Scott said of his five straight birdies. "I just hit really nice shots and didnt leave myself too much work. You have to take advantage of that if youre feeling that. It was a dream start after kind of a nervous first couple of holes." David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., an alternate until a week ago, had a 66 in the morning. Also at 66 was Lee Westwood, who had his best score ever in the PGA and offered evidence that there was no hangover from losing a 54-hole lead in the British Open last month. It felt like an easy start to so many others. Oak Hill has such a strong reputation that it has yielded only 10 scores under par over 72 holes in five previous major championships. The last time the PGA Championship was held on this Donald Ross design in 2003, there were only 12 rounds under par on the first day. But with overnight rain, humid conditions and a 71-minute delay for storms in the afternoon, Thursday might be as easy as it gets. Scott and Furyk had plenty of company, two of 35 players who broke par. Tiger Woods was not among them. The worlds No. 1 player made only two birdies despite playing in the still of the morning, and he watched his round fall apart with a bogey on par-5 fourth and a double bogey on his final hole when his flop shot out of a deep rough floated into a bunker. Woods had a 71, not a bad start at Oak Hill, except on this day. "The round realistically could have been under par easily," Woods said. Furyk, who won his lone major at the U.S. Open in 2003 at Olympia Fields, has gone nearly three years since his last win at the Tour Championship to capture the FedEx Cup and win PGA Tour player of the year. Still fresh are the four close calls from a year ago, including the U.S. Open. He was as steady as Scott, rarely putting himself in trouble until the end of the round. Furyk missed the fairway to the right and had to pitch out because of thick rough and trees blocking his way to the green. That led to his only bogey, but still his lowest first-round score in 19 appearances at the PGA Championship. "Usually disappointed with ending the day on a bogey," Furyk said. "But you know, 65, PGA, is not so bad." There were no record scores at Oak Hill despite the soft conditions, just a lot of low rounds. "If you dont hit it in the fairways, then you wont score well," Westwood said. "These guys are good. There are a lot of good players playing in the tournament. Somebody is going to hit it straight, and somebody is going to shoot a good score." Scott certainly didnt start out that way. He had to pitch out from the trees on No. 1, but managed to get up-and-down from about 85 yards in front of the green, and after two more pars, he began his big run of birdies. "Just got on a bit of a roll and hit a few shots close," Scott said. "I didnt have too much putting to do. Youve got to take advantage when it happens, because it doesnt happen too much in the majors. Nothing to complain about in 65." He felt similar to the opening round at Royal Lytham & St. Annes last year in the British Open, when he flirted with a 63 and had to settle for a course record-tying 64. Scott was on pace to tie the Oak Hill record for majors when he birdied the 14th, but he three-putted two holes later for bogey and was pleased to walk away with par on the 18th. "I felt good out there today," he said. "I felt like I could swing freely and I was hitting all the shots that I wanted to hit. When you get something going for you in a major, sometimes you have got to be not afraid to get out of your own way and let go. I did that at Lytham, and I did that here for 10 or 11 holes." Just last month at Muirfield, the 31-year-old Australian had the outright lead on the back nine in the British Open until he made four straight bogeys and couldnt keep up with Phil Mickelson and his great finish. Even so, it was evident that Scott was serious about adding more majors to that green jacket he won at Augusta National in April. "I put a lot into my game the last two years with a focus on the big tournaments," Scott said. "Everyone around me has had the same focus, as well. We come here to do business." Even Rory McIlroy got in on the act. The defending champion, at the end of a major season that has been a major disappointment, came out firing with three birdies on the opening four holes and made the turn in 32 until back-to-back bogeys. He wound up with a 69. A resurgent Paul Casey was in the group at 67, while U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, British Open runner-up Henrik Stenson and the ageless Miguel Angel Jimenez were among 11 players at 68. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., had an even par 70. Mickelson wound up with the same score as Woods, only they arrived at 71 much differently. Woods had only two birdies. Mickelson shot 71 despite two double bogeys, including one on the 18th hole. On the par-5 fourth hole, he hooked his tee shot out-of-bounds and nearly lost the next tee shot in the same place. "The first four holes was like a shock to my system," Mickelson said. "Hitting it out-of-bounds on 4 ... out-of-bounds is not even in play. 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Nashville, Tenn. -- Five established and successful women administrators in collegiate and professional athletics spoke of their career experiences and challenges during a roundtable discussion, Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women in Athletic Leadership.The forum was hosted by Vanderbilts Department of Athletics to stimulate thought and progress in the promotion of additional diversity in the athletic workplace. Current student-athletes from area colleges dotted the audience composed primarily of local coaches and administrators and members of the general public.The panel included Michelle Kennedy, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer of the Nashville Predators, Tiffany Daniels, Associate Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, Beth DeBauche, Commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference, Teresa Phillips, Director of Athletics at Tennessee State University and Candice Lee, Deputy Athletic Director at Vanderbilt University.The administrators were initially asked a variety of questions by Carolyn Peck, a national champion head coach now an associate coach on Vanderbilts womens basketball staff. Later in the program, the floor was opened to questions from the audience.There were many topics covered, including their thoughts on being immersed in a male-dominated enterprise, how to increase female participation in coaching and administration and the steps necessary to improve and/or change the current culture.Perhaps not surprisingly, this panel of strong leaders expressed a generally optimistic and encouraging message, seemingly agreeing that while much work is left to be done to promote more opportunity for women, progress is being made on a number of fronts.Several panelists were asked, for example, how they felt working in a culture that up to the relatively recent past was almost exclusively a mens only club. They cited hard work, mastery of basic skill sets, attention to detail and a firm belief in their own abilities as keys to their success.Ive never felt oppressed, nevver felt held back because I am a woman, Kennedy said.ddddddddddddCommissioner DeBauche urged women not to assume that quality positions will automatically go to male candidates and to get themselves in the mix after confessing that it took her two inquiries from college presidents seeking commissioner candidates while she was at the NCAA that eventually went to women to realize she could become one herself.Daniels, a former University of Georgia student-athlete, said raising a generation of confident young women is vital.I never felt there was anything I couldnt do, Daniels said. I have a mindset that you are not going to out-work me and I want my two young daughters to believe there isnt anything they cant do either.Lee addressed the question of a lack of women in the college coaching ranks, citing a number of challenges including a pipeline issue of qualified candidates and misconceptions some women have regarding the work-life balance required in athletics. She observed that work-life balance in athletics seems to be more emphasized to women, perhaps sending a discouraging message.DeBauche interjected that there needs to be a change in the perception of what a successful coach looks like, noting the concept that successful coaches must sleep in their offices sends the wrong message.Phillips, like Lee and Kennedy a former Vanderbilt basketball student-athlete, talked about athletics as being a big family and affording opportunities to build life-long relationships. Phillips spoke several times from her varied role as a former coach, current administrator and as the mother of a current student-athlete.Panelists agreed that while encouraging young women to be confident and actively follow their dreams, it is equally important to educate young men that their female counterparts are worthy of significant roles and will play a major role in the athletic departments of the future. ' ' '