Donald makes solid start

Luke Donald signed for a seven-under-par 63 at Waialae Country Club to take a one-shot lead after the opening round at the Sony Open.

Donald, whose gallery amounted to "three or four" people at the start of the day and not many more at the end, enjoyed the serene silence to compile nine birdies in his score.

"I've always enjoyed playing this course," said the soft spoken 29-year-old Englishman, who now lives primarily in Chicago. "I played very nicely and more importantly, holed the putts for birdie."

KJ Choi was next after a 64 that included an eagle from nearly 50 feet at the par-five 18th. Jim Furyk and Will MacKenzie were two shots off the pace on a day when the 17-year-old Michelle Wie shot a 78 that left her second to last.

Donald, a member of last year's victorious European Ryder Cup team, finished a career high ninth on the PGA Tour money list last year, and he made a decent start to 2007 with a seventh place at the Mercedes-Benz Championship on Maui last week.

"I feel I'm getting better every year," he said. "It has not quite yet resulted in a lot of wins, winning majors and that kind of stuff, but I feel I'm getting a lot closer than I was a year or two ago.

"I've gotten to the stage where I'm expecting to be up there and contending and winning each week I play. That was probably not quite there a year ago."

Donald is regarded as a premier iron player, and he was certainly on target with his approach shots, making all but one of his birdies from inside 15 feet on a course that demands shotmaking more than sheer power.

Choi had three good rounds last week, but he hopes to raise that number to four this week.

"This week the ball is going better than last week, so a little more prayer tonight and then hopefully more quiet in the morning," he said.