KAPALUA, Maui » When Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore drew up the Plantation Course, they designed it with the prevailing tradewinds in mind. So what happens when the breezes swing around to the Kona side?

“;The course is actually easier,”; tournament chairman Gary Planos said. “;After you get past the first two holes, you've got few problems coming in.”;

Based on the scores during yesterday's third round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, it's hard to argue with the man who was around when they put the first shovel into the ground.

Led by Zach Johnson's stellar 9-under 64, there were 17 golfers who shot 69 or better and only three who failed to break par. But before you start reaching for the record books, there have been better days than this one since the Mercedes moved to Maui in 1999.

In 2003, Ernie Els set the PGA Tour record in relation to par at 31 under. All four days, the tradewinds were out of town, and it showed in the scores. On the final day, 25 golfers managed rounds in the 60s with three shooting even par or worse.

Yesterday, there were 17 rounds in the 60s, with only Ryuji Imada shooting over par (74). He dropped from a tie for fourth to a tie for 18th. Els and Adam Scott were the only other golfers not to land in red figures. Both shot even-par 73s. Els dropped from third to a tie for 11th and Scott went from a tie for 10th to a tie for 18th in the elite 33-man field.

Johnson went out early and gave fans a hint of things to come. After opening with a pair of ho-hum rounds that left him at even-par 146, the 2007 Masters champion carded seven birdies, one eagle and no bogeys to go from a tie for 24th to a tie for 11th. He credited the Kona winds for his huge turnaround.

“;Maybe I'm a Kona-wind guy because those trade winds didn't treat me very well,”; said Johnson, who had a 75 on Friday. “;It was fun. It was nice to get off to a good start. The conditions were perfect for my game.”;

Golfers who have played here before when the Kona winds blow from the south had an advantage. Davis Love III is a perfect example. He has played the Kapalua courses for a quarter-century and knows the club changes needed to get around the wide-open, par-73 layout.

“;It throws you a curve ball because you're so used to doing things the same way every time,”; said Love, who is tied for fourth at 12-under 207. He shot a 68 yesterday and trails leader Geoff Ogilvy by seven shots. “;You're hitting 4-irons off of tees that you normally are hitting driver off of, you have to think.

“;It's almost like the British Open. If the wind turns around, all the strategy gets thrown out the window and you have to start thinking a little bit. At 17, I'm used to hitting 8-irons in there and I'm hitting 5-iron today. It looks like a big green until you start trying to hit a 5-iron in the wind coming off the left rather than an 8-iron off the right.”;

Texan Justin Leonard, who is in second at 13 under after shooting a 65, knows all about playing in the wind. He remembered how the Kona breezes blew in 2003 when everyone went low, and was able to adjust from the trades on Thursday and Friday to light breezes out of the south yesterday.

“;Probably the biggest differences are 1, 17 and 18 on the clubs that you hit into those three holes,”; Leonard said. “;No. 1 is 520 and it's normally downwind. So when it plays into the wind, it's a very difficult hole. But you know there are probably a few more scoring opportunities.

“;The holes that are normally into the wind, where you're hitting a driver and trying to keep a 6-, 7-, or 8-iron down, now you're hitting sand wedge into those holes. I feel like the par 5s played a little bit easier, especially when it's a pretty calm wind like it was today.”;

As for Ogilvy, he had never played in the Kona breezes prior to yesterday and it didn't make any difference. He shot an 8-under 65 to open a six-shot advantage on Leonard and D.J. Trahan (70). He adjusted just fine.

“;This was a different course than I've ever seen before,”; Ogilvy said. “;Just a gentle wind in completely the opposite direction than I've ever seen it. It made a couple of holes a lot more difficult. It makes holes like 17 and 18 a little harder, but turned around and it makes some of the holes a bit easier. A lot of irons off tees, which I've never done out here.”;