PARAMUS, N. C.J. Mosley Black Jersey .J. -- Rory McIlroy took a week to celebrate his blockbuster summer and paid for it in The Barclays with his worst start in two months. He could afford a day off. That wasnt the case for players like Bo Van Pelt and Paul Casey, and they picked a good time to produce good scores. With no guarantee of playing beyond this week, Van Pelt opened with three straight birdies Thursday and chipped in for eagle late in his round for a 6-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead in the opener of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Van Pelt is No. 104 in the FedEx Cup. Only the top 100 advance to the next tournament. Casey is No. 118 with a lot on his mind -- specifically the birth of his first child in two weeks -- and played bogey-free at Ridgewood to join seven other players at 66. That group included Brendon Todd, who is trying to get Ryder Cup captain Tom Watsons attention as a possible wild-card pick; and Hunter Mahan, who at No. 62 is in danger of missing the Tour Championship for the first time since the FedEx Cup began in 2007. Ridgewood featured some of the deepest rough of the year, though the greens were soft enough to allow for birdies if players could keep it in the fairway. The average score was 70.8, with 44 rounds in the 60s. McIlroy was not among them. The British Open and PGA champion went 13 holes before he made his first birdie and finished with a 74. That ended a streak of 14 straight rounds under par, and it was his highest score in the opening round since a 74 in the Irish Open in June. "Fatigue isnt playing a part," he said. "Its I think just not putting the time in that I probably should have over the past week. And I think I allowed myself that and deserved that. But this is the consequence of it and I need to work hard this afternoon and go out tomorrow and shoot a good number." McIlroy established himself anew as golfs No. 1 player with a wire-to-wire win at the British Open, a come-from-behind win at a World Golf Championship and a late charge at Valhalla to win the PGA Championship and become the third-youngest player with four majors. "I wanted to enjoy it for a week," he said. Van Pelt doesnt have that luxury. He started his year missing seven cuts in nine tournaments before it slowly started to come around over the last month. He felt he was heading in the right direction and received more confirmation Thursday. Van Pelt didnt make a bogey, and finished strong with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 16th and the eagle on the par-5 17th hole that put him in the lead. "As poorly as I played at the start of the year, Im just kind of glad to be here," Van Pelt said. "Things have been trending in a lot better direction. So I felt fortunate to be here with the position I was in three months ago. I just felt like if I kept doing what I was doing, hopefully I would at least get to next week and then kind of cross that bridge when I got there." Jim Furyk, Charles Howell III, Brendon de Jonge, Ben Martin and Cameron Tringale also were in the group one shot behind. Casey hasnt had a top 10 on the PGA Tour all season and didnt make it into the playoffs with much room to spare. Hes not sure how long hell be around, although a solid start was sure to help. "I think today was probably a product of really not having really any expectations and just going out there and smashing it around and having fun," Casey said. McIlroy had his fun last week, and he was headed to the range after his opening round to get his game back. He took an early double bogey by barely getting out of a bunker and chipping 15 feet by the hole on No. 12, and then going long into a bunker for a bogey on the par-5 13th. "Its not a bad thing," he said. "A score like this would be tougher to take if I had not just come off the weeks that I had. But at the same time, I want to play well and I want to give myself chances to win tournaments." Mahan is the only player to compete in every playoff event since the FedEx Cup began. He is assured of two tournaments, though he needs a good week somewhere to keep alive his hopes of reaching Atlanta for the Tour Championship. The top 70 advance to the third week, and the top 30 get to East Lake for the finale. Plus, he hopes to audition for one of the captains picks for the Ryder Cup. "It will be a bonus to make it to Atlanta and it will be a bonus right now to make the Ryder Cup team," Mahan said. "So I have nothing to be nervous about or get out there and doubt myself. I have to trust myself because everything Im doing is good and everything else will kind of take care of itself." Ray Lewis Purple Jersey . "The opportunities are going to come," he said Monday on a conference call from Slovenia, where the team was preparing for a friendly. "If we werent creating chances then it would be a different conversation. Justin Forsett Black Jersey .ca NBA Power Rankings, but there are changes among those teams in pursuit.AUSTIN, Texas -- Once again, Sebastian Vettel got the better of Red Bull teammate and rival Mark Webber. Vettels late surge in qualifying allowed him to take the pole position from Webber for Sundays U.S. Grand Prix. That puts the four-time world champion in the prime spot to go after a record eighth consecutive victory this season and a title that escaped him last year. "Shake and bake!" the German and his crew shouted to each other, a humorous and quite American nod to the fictional NASCAR movie "Talladega Nights." Webber appeared set to earn his third pole position in the last four races until Vettel lapped the Circuit of the Americas in 1 minute, 36.338 seconds, pushing the Australian into second. Webber, who is leaving Formula One after this season to drive in the world endurance championship, was clearly frustrated by his late slip in the No. 2 spot. "At some point youre happy to be in the front row," Webber said. "It slipped through the fingers. Its not satisfying when you do that." Webber has nine victories in his career but none this year, with Vettel dominating the season in winning his fourth consecutive world championship. Hes had his chances. Webber started on the pole in Japan and Abu Dhabi only to finish second to Vettel both times. But no race created more animosity between the teammates than the Malaysian Grand Prix back in March that all but shattered an already tense relationship. Webber was cruising toward a victory in the closing stages in Malaysia when Vettel ignored team orders and passed him to win. Vettel got him again Saturday. ";Both of us would like to have the upper hand," Vettel said. Haloti Ngata Purple Jersey. . "Im happy we did the job today. Now we focus on the start." The start at the Circuit of the Americas can be treacherous with its 100-foot climb to a blind left turn that sends the cars straight back down. The traffic jam at the apex can be calamitous for cars stuck in the middle. Charging up the hill from the pole position last year, Vettel stayed in front of the potential danger and looked to be cruising toward a victory until Lewis Hamilton, then driving for McLaren, passed him with about 14 laps to go and won. "It was a tight battle with Lewis. He was a bit quicker," Vettel said. Romain Grosjean of Lotus will start third Sunday and Saubers Nico Hulkenberg will be fourth. Grosjean will have a chance to earn his fourth top-three finish of the season and third in two months. Hamilton, now with Mercedes, qualified fifth. "Well see what we can do. Its good to be here and show we are still in the front row," Grosjean said. Grosjeans temporary Lotus teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, qualified eighth despite having just three days to learn his new car. Kovalainen is driving the last two races of the season for Kimi Raikkonnen, who had back surgery. A Vettel victory would be his 12th of the season, keeping him on target to tie Michael Schumachers season record of 13 next week in the season finale in Brazil. On Saturday, Vettel shrugged off pursuit of records. "Its not the right mind set to go into the race," he said. "Weve done pretty well with that kind of approach." ' ' '