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Parnevik tied for first day lead

Jesper Parnevik fired a seven-under 65 on Thursday to share a one-shot lead with Australians Ben Ferguson and Geoff Ogilvy after the first round of the Honda Classic.

Parnevik opened with a 10-foot birdie at the first hole of the TPC at Heron Bay and then added two more birdies from inside of five feet at three and four.

The Swede made back-to-back birdies at the turn when he chipped to six feet at the par-five ninth and then hit a seven-iron to 15 feet at the next hole.

Parnevik's next birdie came at the par-five 14th when he chipped in from 15 feet off the green and then notched another at the 222-yard 15th when he roped a four-iron to 20 feet.

"Today, I didn't really hit my driver as well as I wanted to," said Parnevik, who is making an hour-long commute this week to stay at his house. "I knocked most of my iron shots close when I had a chance, and then holed the birdie putts."

Jesper Parnevik, will need to start producing results if he's to be a Captains pick for the Ryder Cup. Allsport.

Ferguson used spectacular iron play on Thursday for his 65. At number-two, the Australian chipped in from 30 feet for birdie. He made consecutive birdies at six and seven, where neither of his putts were longer than 15 feet.

At the 11th, Ferguson played a six iron to five feet for birdie and then followed it up with another six-iron shot, this time at number-12 which landed three feet from the cup. He converted that birdie and two-putted from 45 feet at the 534-yard 16th to go to six- under.

He finished with a birdie at 18 when he nailed a pitching wedge to five feet.

Ferguson talked about the lack of wind on Thursday which played havoc on the players in the pro-am events on Monday and Tuesday.

"I played the pro-am on Monday and I think it was blowing 40 miles an hour and it was really tough," said Ferguson, who earned his playing card through the 2000 Qualifying Tournament. "Today it felt like it was blowing 10 miles an hour. I was adjusting on every hole. The course just plays totally different when the wind dies down like that."

Fellow Aussie Ogilvy opened his round on the back nine at the TPC at Heron Bay and got into red figures at the 13th, when he rolled home a 25-footer. He added a birdie at the next hole when he chipped his third shot at the par-five hole to within two feet.

Ogilvy racked up five birdies on his second nine, including a four-footer at number-three and a tap-in at the fourth. He could have finished alone in the lead, but his 20-foot eagle try at the ninth missed.

"My coach was actually pretty amazed when I finished at 65," noted Ogilvy. "He walked with me the first nine holes, and I don't think I hit a fairway the first six or seven holes. I putted unbelievably on the back nine."

Six golfers share second place at minus-six. Jim Gallagher, Jr., Fulton Allem, J.P. Hayes, Hunter Haas, Scott Simpson and two-times Masters champion Bernhard Langer are tied for fourth after opening- round scores of 66.

Joe Durant, who has won his last two starts on tour, headlines a group of 12 golfers at five-under. Mark Calcavecchia, the winner of this year's Phoenix Open, and high-school sophomore Ty Tryon are among the notable players who share 10th place with Durant.

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