BARRINGTON — New England is the center of the golf world this week and, if opening day is any indication, it could turn out to be even more fun than expected. The first of four major national events in the region began yesterday with area players threatening to keep top honors for themselves.

Rhode Island’s Brad Faxon had seven birdies and an eagle on his own ball. They carried him and his partner, Masters champion Zach Johnson, to an 11-under-par 60 in the ninth CVS Caremark Charity Classic at Rhode Island Country Club.

As terrific as that was, it was good enough only for a tie for the lead in the best-ball event. Connecticut’s J.J. Henry, fresh off the tough conditions at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, had nine birdies to lead him and his partner, fellow Ryder Cupper Stewart Cink, to the same total.

Chris DiMarco, the only two-time champion in the $1.35-million tournament, was in good position to win again. He and fellow University of Florida Gator Camilo Villegas combined for a 61 on a beautiful day at the bayside layout.

The first women to take part in the event, LPGA stars Juli Inkster and Natalie Gulbis, drew much support from the fans and turned in a more-than respectable 5-under 66 that tied them for seventh among the 10 teams.

The “new” RICC, sporting a more wide-open look after a $7-million renovation project over the winter and spring, played very much like the course always has.

That is, it drew praise from the competitors both for its condition and the pleasure it is to play, especially coming on the heels of perhaps the most demanding U.S. Open in history.

“It was fun. The greens were fast, but controllable, so you weren’t totally defensive on every putt,” said DiMarco, one of those who spent last week at Oakmont.

“It was a great day to come here and feel like you can relax,” said Cink, another Oakmont veteran.

For some of the world’s best golfers, relaxing means piling birdies on top of birdies. The 10 teams took advantage of the outstanding conditions to pile up 69 birds and one eagle, with just one bogey.

If there was a surprise it was that Faxon, the co-host with Billy Andrade (who combined with Hall of Famer Lee Trevino for a 66) was the one leading the way. Faxon has struggled through a difficult year with major illness problems in addition to dealing with the death of two people close to him, including his grandfather, Raymond Faxon. His illness finally has been diagnosed as Lyme disease. It is now under control.

Faxon certainly looked healthy as he turned in a vintage performance with his seven birdies as well as the day’s only eagle. He hit a 5-wood second shot on the par-5 eighth within seven feet and made the putt for the eagle.

Johnson had five birdies himself, three of which he did not have to count because Faxon had birds on the same hole. The Henry-Cink team was the same.

Henry, who will defend his title at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn., later this week, carried the day with his nine birds.

“J.J. played really awesome,” Cink said. “I could have played some of the holes. I had birdie putts of my own inside five or six feet a few times and I never got to take them because J.J. made his.”

“It was a lot of fun,” Cink went on. “It’s such a relaxing atmosphere. I wish I could train my mind to be this relaxed in our regular tournaments.

“When you get the ball rolling on greens like these greens that are so awesome, you can make putts. These are some of the nicest we ever play,” he said.

It was hard yesterday to decide where the fans’ attention was focused. Each of the five groups had a crowd following it around, with the irrepressible Trevino, who talked all day as he loves to do, drawing much attention as he moved along with Andrade. Johnson, the Masters champion, did, too, as he played with Faxon.

Still, perhaps the biggest crowd was with Gulbis and Inkster. The fans clearly were rooting for the women to do well as they competed in a foursome with Peter Jacobsen and Sean O’Hair, who shot 67. The women played nicely.

“We played well. If we had just made some putts . . .” Inkster said.

Gulbis led the team, which received some, but not a lot of help, with shorter tees on some holes. Gulbis made four birdies and twice, on 4 and 11, nearly holed out from the fairway, leaving herself a putt of less than two feet for bird.

“We had a great time,” Inkster said. “It’s about showcasing women’s golf, being here and being part of the event. The bottom line is that we’re raising money for charity.”

Many of those competing in the event will stay in New England all week. The PGA Tour will be in Connecticut for its annual visit to the TPC at River Highlands. The Champions Tour will be in Concord, Mass., for the Bank of America Championship. The nation’s best amateurs, including Manuel Villegas, who is caddying at RICC for his brother Camilo, will be at Wannamoisett for the Northeast Amateur.

If everything goes the rest of the week the way it did yesterday, there will be plenty for the home fans to cheer for.

pkenyon@projo.com