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Singh & Ogilvy tied
for lead
It's not too late for Vijay
Singh to get his first victory of 2001.
Singh, who has earned more
than $3 million this year without winning a title, carded an 8-under-par 64 on
Thursday and shares the first-round lead with Australia's Geoff Ogilvy at the
Buick Challenge.
Fourth on the money list
with $3,250,429, Singh has 13 top-10 finishes, including runner-ups at the Pebble
Beach National Pro-Am and The Players Championship. But the Fiji native has not
finished first since capturing The Masters last year.
Ogilvy earned a spot on
the tour at Qualifying School last fall and is 92nd on the money list with $525,338.
He has just two top-10 finishes, with his best performance a tie for second at
the Honda Classic in May.
Joel Edwards, Sweden's Per-Ulrik
Johansson, Neal Lancaster, Mike Sposa and Danny Ellis are tied for third at 7-under
65 at the Callaway Gardens Resort.
Former Masters champion
Mark O'Meara and Argentine rookie Jose Coceres, the winner at last week's National
Car Rental Classic, are at 66.
Coceres is trying to crash
the top 30 on the money list and qualify for next week's Tour Championship in
Houston. His victory last week allowed him to jump from 56th to 33rd.
Just $92,107 separates Coceres
from Steve Stricker, who is 29th with $1,588,229. Kenny Perry is 30th, followed
by Jesper Parnevik of Sweden and Kevin Sutherland.
With a first prize of $612,000
at stake, several other players are on the bubble this week, including Steve Lowery
(27th) and Stewart Cink (28th).
A similar scenario awaits
players farther down the money list, where the top 125 will gain PGA Tour playing
privileges for 2002. Players not in Houston next week will compete in the Southern
Farm Bureau Classic in Madison, Mississippi, the final official PGA event of the
year.
Singh recorded eight birdies
in a bogey-free round, carding 32s on each side. He birdied the par-3 17th to
get to 8-under.
Ogilvy also played bogey-free,
with birdies on five of the first six holes. He made the turn at 6-under before
adding two birdies on the back.
Defending champion David
Duval carded a 5-under 67 and is tied for 10th. Duval captured the British Open
in July for his 13th career win and first major title but has struggled since,
finishing no better than 10th in his last four starts.
Duval is trying to become
the first golfer to win this event in back-to-back years since Jerry Pate in 1978.
Davis Love III, who finished
second last week, has rebounded from a neck injury with four top-five finishes
in his last five starts. He opened with a 4-under 68.
David Toms, who is third
on the money list with wins at the Compaq Classic, PGA Championship and Michelob
Championship, struggled to shoot par 72.
The Callaway Gardens Resort
course measures 7,057 yards.
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