Greenbrier Classic 2015: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Thursday

Scott Langley seized the lead with an eight-under 62 in Thursday's opening round of the Greenbrier Classic, but most of the attention fell on one man who trails by four strokes at The Old White TPC.

On the strength of three closing birdies, Tiger Woods fired a 66 to match his best round of the season in relation to par. Golf Channel's Justin Ray put the number itself that Woods carded into context:

Woods' strong finish was preceded by a double bogey, so he showed signs of his signature mental fortitude that's been lacking during the 2014-15 campaign. Starting his round on the back nine, he got to three-under for the day before a disappointing bogey at the par-five 17th.

A birdie at No. 2 not long after the turn made up for that dropped shot. PGA Tour Now showed the short-game woes Woods underwent when he bladed a bunker shot at the par-four sixth:

Chipping problems have plagued Woods for much of the calendar year. Entering the Greenbrier, he had a woeful 41.94 scrambling percentage. Thankfully his ball-striking was on for the final three holes so he could avoid that part of the game and get back rolling in the right direction.

PGATour.com's Sean Martin supplied more statistics to indicate how Woods has often stumbled out of the gates of late:

The PGA Tour's official Twitter account assembled a package of Woods' highlights to show how his up-and-down round unfolded before his ending surge:

ESPN's Pardon the Interruption had a galactically funny Vine to describe the sentiments some may have in seeing Woods play better:

This potential return to form for Woods seems like some sort of Interstellar alternate reality, considering he missed the cut so badly in his last start at the U.S. Open. Any other subplots in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, will be overshadowed for now, but any golf fan can appreciate the sensational display Langley put on to ascend to the top of the leaderboard.

A bogey-free round from Langley featured eight birdies, only two missed fairways and 17 of 18 greens hit in regulation. Langley spoke afterward about how he's changed his mindset in the past two events, which has yielded better results, per Golf Channel.com's Will Gray:

"

I've got a new outlook on the year. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, I need to be the most positive guy in the field week in and week out, so that's been my goal the last two weeks. Last week I had a really positive week. I finished 25th. I didn't win the golf tournament, but I felt really good about the way my attitude was and my game was, and I felt like it helped me play a little better.

"

Ranked 144th in the FedEx Cup standings, any type of strong finish would do wonders for Langley's postseason outlook. He'll have to fend off plenty of quality players and even perhaps Woods for the next 54 holes if he's meant to stay at the top.

Rounds of 63 helped veteran Jonathan Byrd and youngster Danny Lee enter the clubhouse just one shot off Langley's ambitious pace. Neither of them dropped a shot en route to tying for second after the first round.

ESPN.com's Jason Sobel reacted to Lee's improved fortunes from his last start, where he coincidentally tied Langley for 25th at the Travelers Championship:

Rookie Justin Thomas had the shot of the day on his ninth hole with an extraordinary ace at the par-three 18th—the second player to score a hole-in-one Thursday, joining George McNeill:

No Laying Up incorporated Thomas' brilliance into the top storylines of the highly entertaining start to the Greenbrier:

Another precocious player who played well Thursday—albeit one who hasn't made an expected impression on the stateside golf scene—is Ryo Ishikawa. Despite hitting six of 14 fairways, he found a way to score well in carding a 64 to get himself right in the hunt.

Ishikawa shot a 12-under 58 as an 18-year-old in 2010 on the Japan Tour but hasn't matched the hype after a hot start to his career. He's still quite young, and perhaps this is the week Ishikawa truly breaks out.

As is evident in the low first-round scores, there are low numbers to be had at The Old White TPC. Favorable scoring conditions can often free up players to be more aggressive with a shootout mentality.

Second-round action isn't often must-see TV for casual golf observers, but with Woods seemingly on his game again, fans won't want to miss how he deals with his latest on-course success. It will be interesting to see if Woods can play well enough tee to green or if birdies in bunches remain the status quo for the rest of the week.