Brad Faxon, left, congratulates partner Zach Johnson after Johnson drained a long birdie putt at the 18th hole yesterday.

The providence journal / Bob Breidenbach Bob Breidenbach

BARRINGTON — Dana Quigley has witnessed the very best of Brad Faxon’s golfing abilities during too many rounds to count at Rhode Island Country Club over the years.

He’s watched Faxon tear up the scenic course on random weekend mornings when the only question hanging in the air was just how many birdies would Faxon make. That’s why yesterday’s seven-birdie, one-eagle effort by one of Barrington’s favorite sons didn’t catch Quigley by surprise.

“It’s home cooking,” said Quigley. “I came over here back when I was a club pro (at Crestwood) on a Sunday morning and I was 2-under through 13 and I got closed out. Brad made seven birdies in 13 holes.”

Faxon, with a little help from Masters champion Zach Johnson’s two birdies, is in position to win the CVS Caremark Charity Classic for the first time today. The twosome fired an 11-under 60 in yesterday’s first round and are tied for the lead with the team of J.J. Henry and Stewart Cink.

“It felt great,” Faxon said of his birdie barrage. “You feel happy, you feel relieved.”

It’s understandable why Faxon might feel a sense of relief that he can still walk around RICC in front of big crowds, fire irons at the flag sticks and drain putts of all lengths. He’s in the midst of one of his toughest stretches as a professional, no longer on the radar when the PGA Tour’s elite players are mentioned. While battles with his swing, a balky driver and his advancing age (he turns 46 on Aug. 1) are well-publicized, a little-known health problem isn’t.

Faxon battled Lyme disease for most of the spring and lost weight as well as some of the confidence that had made him a world-class player for the last 20 years. For an athlete who works religiously on his body during hours of weight training and yoga, the setback was a big one.

“It is awful. I lost 10 pounds,” he said. “I withdrew from basically three tournaments. It is the worst virus you could ever have.”

After making his only two cuts of the season (in 12 tries) in March, Faxon said he first felt sluggish in April, around Masters week. He hasn’t shot better than 74 in a round on tour since, but said he felt “great” after tearing up his boyhood playground yesterday. It certainly was a major confidence-boost heading into the rest of the week, which will feature a trip to TPC River Highlands in Connecticut for the newly renamed Travelers Championship, an event Faxon won in 2005.

“I’m back to training like I need to out there,” he said. “It was good to play loose and have some fun.”

That was an easy task for Faxon and Johnson yesterday. Faxon flushed in tight iron shots on his way to birdies at the second, third and fourth holes. He stuck an approach to three feet at the short, par-4 sixth and then hit driver, 3-wood to six feet and made the putt for an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole. That made him 6-under on his own ball through eight holes. He caught fire again at the turn with a birdie at the 10th hole. Johnson birdied the par-5 11th and Faxon flushed another putt on the short 12th.

With the Cink-Henry and Chris DiMarco-Camilo Villegas teams both pouring home birdies in the group in front of them, Faxon and Johnson finished fast. Faxon stuck his approach on the par-3 17th hole to about eight feet and made the putt. Then Johnson, with a little adjustment from Faxon, drained a putt on the 18th hole to force a tie for first place.

“Brad said, ‘You have to make this because we need to be in the last group (today).’ I need to be in the last group,” Johnson said with a smile. “Clearly, Brad knows how to read the greens here.”

That’s exactly what Quigley, and so many other RICC members believe after watching Faxon carve up the Donald Ross-designed course over the years.

“He could go around here with his pajamas on and make seven, eight birdies,” said Quigley. “He knows every blade of grass out here.”

kmcnamar@projo.com