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Kaye leads after shooting 62

Jonathan Kaye fired an eight-under 62 Thursday to lead the Greater Hartford Open by one shot over Shigeki Maruyama.

Jay Don Blake is alone in third at six-under par, while Larry Mize, Frank Lickliter, Chris DiMarco, Fulton Allem, Scott Simpson, Chris Riley and Edward Fryatt are three shots out at minus-five.

Kaye opened on the back nine at the TPC at River Highlands and carded three straight birdies to start. He drained an eight-footer at 10 and then rolled his approach six inches from the hole at 11. Kaye made it three in a row with a three-footer at the par-four 12th.

He parred the next two holes, but got back to his old form with a six-foot birdie at 15. Kaye hit his approach to a foot at the par-three 16th to set up another birdie and made it three in a row again with a four-footer at 17.

"It was almost like indoor golf at the start," said Kaye. "The greens were perfect. The heat wasn't much of a factor. I'm from Arizona, so I'm used to it."

Kaye's second nine did not start like his first nine as he made three pars and a bogey.

"Then I kind of struggled on the front nine, with two pars in a row," joked Kaye. "Then a nice bogey on the third hole."

Kaye got back on track with a pair of long birdie putts at the fifth and the seventh and closed his round with a six-foot birdie at nine.

Kaye almost withdrew Thursday morning because of a pinched nerve in his neck.

"I didn't think I would play today," said Kaye, who missed the course record of Kirk Triplett's by one shot. "I pulled out of the pro-am. Last week in Westchester, every shot hurt. I was just trying to swing easy and go pain- free, which I did thanks to the help of the guys in the fitness trailer."

Kaye's 62 matched his lowest career round, which he originally posted at the 1999 Bob Hope Classic and equaled at the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas.

Maruyama holed an 18-foot birdie chip at the 15th to get to seven-under par.

Maruyama's 63 was his best round on the PGA Tour and came a week after he withdrew from last week's Buick Classic because of a sore neck.

"I'm not very confident putting at the moment," Maruyama said through an interpreter. "But I just saw the line, first impression, hit the ball where I aimed and had success."

Nick Faldo headlined a group of players at four-under 66.

Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Hal Sutton are part of a logjam at minus- three.

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