Hayes takes first round lead

Mark Hayes didn't know quite how to respond to seeing his name atop the Nationwide Championship leaderboard today.

A burgeoning golf design business is keeping the Edmond, Okla., resident from paying more attention to the Senior PGA Tour.

"I'm not one of the big boys,'' Hayes said after shooting a 5-under-par 67. "I have to work a little harder with my design business. Hopefully, I can make the money and have someone else do the work, but not right now. I hope to make more money playing golf right now."

Included in the group at 4-under at the Golf Club of Georgia were Hubert Green, who has seven top-10 finishes this year, Vicente Fernandez, David Graham, John Bland, and Bob Charles.

Tom Watson and Larry Nelson were among eight players at 3-under. Defending champion Hale Irwin was five strokes back.

Lee Trevino and Lanny Wadkins, both even par, each had a hole-in-one. Trevino holed out a 6-iron on the 182-yard third hole. Less than an hour later, Wadkins aced the 198-yard sixth hole with a 5-iron.

Hayes, 51, had not led a Senior Tour event until today. The longest putt in his six-birdie round was a 15-footer at the par-4 No. 15. Hayes got up-and-down to save par at the par-4 fourth hole, and he birdied the final hole by hitting a sand wedge within four feet.

His lone bogey came at the par-3 17th hole, where his 6-iron planted his ball in the left bank.

All the while, his mind kept drifting.

"I've got four golf course renovation projects going on now," said Hayes, who is 63rd on the money list with $76,314. "It's hard to keep two careers going. I didn't mean for that to happen, but they all hit after I qualified for the Senior Tour. I'm a one-man show, but I do have a fellow in training. Luckily all these renovations are in my area."

In his second year on the Senior Tour, Hayes has finished no higher than 13th -- at Long Island last year and in Naples, Fla., in February.

Green birdied the last three holes of his front nine, the best coming at the par-4 seventh hole, where he chipped in from 20 feet. His only birdie on the back nine came on a 40-foot putt on No. 11.

"I haven't had this much confidence since black-and-white TV," said Green, who lost in a playoff to Bruce Fleisher last week in Charlotte, N.C. "It's fun to play like this. I sleep better at night. I've worked hard on my golf game, so it's nice to be able to enjoy some time off."

Fleisher, the tour's leading money leader, is playing an event in Ireland this week.

Graham, who birdied his first two holes, bogeyed No. 3, but it could have been worse. After his approach shot went over the green, he chipped within 8 feet and made the putt.

"The course is playing fast," Graham said. "The fairways and the entire course are in great shape. It's a hard golf course, but a good course for players that have some length."

Charles, 64, is seeking his first victory since 1996.

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