KA’UPULEHU-KONA, HAWAII » While the Big Island was breathless, Russ Cochran was breathtaking as he blew by a couple of World Golf Hall of Famers to seize the first-round lead yesterday in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.

Cochran fired a career-best 10-under-par 62 in his first competitive round at Hualalai. All it got him was a two-shot lead over a couple of legends, 59-year-old Ben Crenshaw and 61-year-old Tom Watson.

The Champions Tour wreaked havoc at Hualalai in its 2011 debut. The weather did not. It was cloggy — cloudy and voggy — with absolutely no breeze early and late. Waves were breaking big along the 17th and even the whales showed up.

It provided a pristine course for the 50- and 60-somethings, with Hualalai’s only defense being tough pin placements. The golfers’ surprise at that was muted when their average score ended up 68.667.

More than half of the 42-man field was in the 60s and only four were over par. Any scores that included a seven, including 67, were not among the top nine.

"I’m still amazed at how really well these fellows can play," Crenshaw said. "There are so many capable players. We all keep saying that. When they hit 50, some of them have just not lost one thing in their games.

"Somebody is going to shoot really well regardless. These guys are still that good."

Cochran provided the starkest evidence yesterday. He hit his first approach shot ever at Hualalai to within 2 feet and never cooled off. He made the turn in 32 despite parring the second-easiest hole (No. 4).

His first approach shot on the back nine left him 5 feet for eagle, which he drained. He also eagled the 14th, from 20 feet, and threw in a couple of birdies for a 30 on the back, then confessed to "over-reading" birdie chances on the last two holes.

"When you’re getting it in the flow you’re hitting shots where you want to, you’re making putts, greens are nice and you’re scoring on the par-5s," Cochran said. "Then you throw in one or two shots that you don’t expect. For me it was eagle on 14 and another putt or two along the way."

Crenshaw and Watson’s last four wins have come in Hawaii. For Crenshaw, winless in all 166 senior tour starts, it was the 1995 Grand Slam of Golf and the 2009 Champions Skins Game. Watson is the defending champ this week, and won the senior skins with Jack Nicklaus a year ago.

Crenshaw got his vaunted putter going yesterday to tie his low score on the Champions Tour. He birdied the first hole and "got a great lift" with a 55-foot chip-in for eagle on the fourth. There were 10 one-putt greens and all but one of his birdie putts came from inside 12 feet.

"You have to take advantage of what you’re doing," Crenshaw said. "If you don’t, these guys will just run over you."

There was no warning for the wondrous start. He enjoyed his practice rounds this week with Fuzzy Zoeller, his partner in next week’s Ka’anapali Champions Skins Game, but Crenshaw’s best finish last year was 17th here. He called his season "pretty bleak."

Watson’s was pretty remarkable, particularly for a 60-year-old. His win here gave him titles in five decades, and the 22 under was his lowest score as a senior. He had four top-10s in 12 starts, shared the first-round lead at The Masters and was the second-oldest ever to make a U.S. Open cut.

Yesterday he was all but flawless until he missed a 4-footer on No. 18. A year ago, he sank a 5-footer on the same hole the final day to beat Fred Couples.

But Watson made practically everything else he looked at, pouring in five putts between 8 and 20 feet. Most came on the back nine, which has been very good to him. He was 17 under on the back last year and added six more birdies yesterday.

"Don’t ask me, I don’t want to go into it," Watson grinned about his back-nine brilliance. "The menehunes might get me if I start talking too much about it."

The menehune turned out to be left-handed. Cochran, 52, cruised past Crenshaw and Watson late, looking for his third senior win. His first two came last year. Until then, his last win was the 1991 Centel Western Open, which was also his only PGA Tour victory.

Before the 2009 Champions Rookie of the Year started with the seniors, he had four years to re-evaluate his game and his goals. It helped immensely.

"I said to myself when I get out there I’m going to do this a little differently," Cochran recalls. "I’m certainly going to enjoy the moment more. My family is able to enjoy it with me. A certain part of you feels like I didn’t win enough, didn’t play well enough on tour and if I get the opportunity again I’m certainly going to dig in and play as hard as I can."