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Three share first day lead

Vijay Singh birdied his last hole on Thursday to shoot a six-under 65 and join Billy Mayfair and Doug Dunakey at the top of the leaderboard at the Worldcom Classic.

The trio shares a one-shot lead over Tommy Armour III, Greg Chalmers, Rocco Mediate, Dudley Hart, Tom Lehman, Brad Elder, Billy Andrade, Mark Brooks and Mark Calcavecchia.

Singh started on the back nine at the Harbour Town Golf Links and opened with a pair of birdies at 11 and 12. He parred the remaining holes on his first nine, including a par save from off the green after he hit his approach near a ditch on 18.

The 2000 Masters champion played a pitching wedge for his second shot at the first and landed it 12 feet from the cup for a birdie. He added another at the next hole when he ran home an eight-footer.

Singh carded pars at the next two holes before he birdied the par-five fifth. At the final hole, Singh hit a lob wedge onto the green and rolled home the four-footer for par.

"Today I made putts I normally don't make," said Singh, whose one-over 73 in the third round at the Masters last week was his only round over par this season. "When you make 15- 18-footers, you're going to shoot low scores."

Mayfair also started on the back side and posted a bogey at 10 when he pulled his seven-iron approach shot. He erased that lost stroke at the next with a six-foot birdie.

Mayfair carded back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16 with putts falling in from 10 and 20 feet, respectively.

The second nine began with a birdie for Mayfair at one when he hit a nine-iron to six feet. He added birdies at two and five and then played a nine-iron to 10 feet at number-eight to grab a share of the lead.

"I'm real excited about the way I played," said Mayfair, who stated that this was his favorite course on tour. "I had good looks at the holes and I putted real well today."

Dunakey, who played in the first group on Thursday, made the turn at two-under and drained an eight-foot birdie putt on one. He two- putted the par-five second for another birdie and carded back-to-back birdies at five and six. With the lead, Dunakey bogeyed seven but recovered with a 15-footer for birdie at his last, the ninth.

"The last time I was here I think I finished next to last," said Dunakey. "I wasn't expecting a whole lot."

Dunakey fired a 59 in the Buy.com Miami Valley Open in 1998. It could have been one lower, but Dunakey missed a three-foot par save on his last hole.

Brian Gay, Scott Hoch, Carlos Franco, Jeff Sluman, Loren Roberts, Neal Lancaster, Glen Hnatiuk and Mike Sposa are tied for 13th at minus-four.

Davis Love III, a four-time champion of this event, bogeyed his last hole to finish with a three-under 68.

Defending champion Stewart Cink is four off the lead after an opening-round 69.

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