Eight tie for lead on calm first round

Heron Bay's lone defender took a day off today.

With little or no wind during the opening round of the Honda Classic, the Tournament Players Club at Heron Bay -- known for its strong, steady winds -- gave way to low scoring.

Only 18 of the 144 players finished over par, with Mike Brisky, Brian Gay, Matt Gogel, Dudley Hart, J.P. Hayes, Brian Henninger, Skip Kendall and Paraguay's Carlos Franco shooting 7-under-par 65s to share the lead.

"I was surprised that the wind didn't come up a little bit more," Kendall said. "Our 18th hole played a bit into the wind, but virtually nothing compared to what it usually is. It's usually blowing 25, 30 mph here."

Eight players shot 66s, including Casey Martin, the first player to use a cart on tour. Martin has a rare circulatory condition in his right leg that makes it difficult for him to walk 18 holes.

He missed a 20-foot putt for birdie on No. 18 that would have put him in a tie for lead. Nonetheless, it was his lowest-scoring round on tour.

"There is not a hill around, and that was about as pain-free a round as I've had in a long time," Martin said. "I played great, I really did. I just hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens and made some putts. It was as solid a round as I've played in a long time."

His lawsuit against the PGA Tour was upheld in appellate court this week, possibly ending his two-year dispute with the tour.

"I'd much rather talk about good golf than how I get around," he said.

Only three of the top 10 players in the world rankings - Davis Love III (4), defending champion Vijay Singh (5) and Jim Furyk (9) - are participating in the Honda.

Love (69), Singh (70) and Furyk (68) are lurking just behind the leaders.

"When the wind blows out here, you are going to need to find some open areas to drive the ball," Gogel said. "But when it lays down like it did for most of the morning, you are going to see good scores."

Gogel, the victim of Tiger Woods' amazing final-round comeback at Pebble Beach in January, took two weeks off before the Honda.

He didn't touch his clubs. He never took them out of the travel bag. He tried not to even think about golf.

"It probably stung me a little bit more than I thought," Gogel said.

The down time seemed to helped. Gogel made five birdies, holed a sand shot for eagle and just missed another birdie that would have given him a one-stroke lead.

"I feel like I can come in here on Monday and, in two or three days, get my game ready," Gogel said. "If I putt well, then I'm going to play well."

Putting well was a common theme among the leaders.

Brisky made six birdies in a row, tying the course record set by Fred Couples in 1985. Brisky started his run on the par-5 No. 4. It ended with a bogey on No. 10.

"It just kicked in," he said. "I've got no explanation. I have been struggling all year with the putter and I don't understand why it started on No. 4. I'm not going to question it; I'm just going to take it and run."

Brisky, Gogel and Kendall are seeking their first wins on tour. Kendall was alone atop the leaderboard at 8-under before he missed a 4-foot putt for par on No. 18, the fifth-toughest closing hole on tour last season.

Australian sensation Aaron Baddeley, 18, chipped in from 25 feet away on No. 18 for birdie. Baddeley, the only amateur in the field, shot a 3-under 69.

The Australian Open winner would have had a lower round but was even on the four par 5s.

Baddeley got a warm welcome from the galleries. On No. 10, someone shouted "Second Tiger" after he ripped his tee shot.

"I don't know about that," Baddeley said.

Divots: Franco, the tour's 1999 rookie of the year, is playing with tendonitis in his left wrist. ... David Sutherland had a rare double eagle on the par-5 No. 14. After his drive, he hit a 3-wood from 274 yards that found the hole. It was the first double eagle on tour this season. There were five last year. ... Hart, who is from nearby Fort Lauderdale, had several friends and family on hand for the first round, but not his father, Chuck. His dad is expected to get out of the hospital Friday following stomach surgery. ... Singh won last year's event at 11-under. Payne Stewart finished second.

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