Three tie for lead with 63's

Jeff Sluman had a bogey-free 63 on Thursday for a three-way share of the lead at the Disney World Golf Classic, another reminder of how far he has come since he first played a tournament next to the Magic Kingdom.

Twenty years ago, Sluman won at Disney on the now-defunct Space Coast Tour. The purse was $100,000, not the $3.7 million it is now.

Tiger Woods was in the first grade.

Still, the Space Coast Tour proved to be a launching pad for Sluman, who went on to earn his PGA Tour card later that year and embark on a career that has included a PGA Championship among his six victories, and earnings over $12.7 million.

"There was a lot of pressure in that it helped me get over the hurdles," Sluman said. "All those experiences, even on mini-tours, certainly help later on in your life."

Everyone was helped by perfect conditions in the opening round at Disney.

Hidemichi Tanaka of Japan, at 5-foot-5 barely tall enough to ride Space Mountain, made 10 birdies on the Palm course for a 9-under 63. He and Sluman were joined by Bob Burns, who is 118th on the money list and needs a good week to secure his card.

Scott Hoch was among those at 64, while Stuart Appleby continued his strong play from Las Vegas and had a 65.

Woods, playing for the first time since the Ryder Cup, was in a large group at 66.

"I'll take it," said Woods, who didn't hit the ball particularly well but made enough putts to post his 18th consecutive round at par or better.

Sluman did just about everything right. He made seven of his birdies from inside 6 feet and got away with his only big mistake by making a 35-footer on No. 10 at the Palm course.

Sluman is no giant himself at only 5-foot 7, but he dwarfs Tanaka. The 31-year-old Japanese player, who first got attention by taking the 54-hole lead at Valderrama two years ago in the World Golf Championship, is proud of his 27-inch waist and his size 8 shoes.

"I would like to win for the little guys," said Tanaka, who has a big smile to go with his tiny physique. "My feeling is if I can win, anyone can win."

Just about everyone has this season, which already has produced a record 15 players who won for the first time on tour.

The opening round at Disney was a continuation of a couple of trends: Burns managed to avoid the high numbers that doomed him last week in Las Vegas. He made 19 birdies last week but missed the cut.

"Make a bunch of birdies, don't make bogeys. That's the scoop," said Burns, who came close to his first victory earlier this year at the Kemper Open.

Sluman represents the other trend: guys in their 40s who have proven they can still compete on a tour where the focus is on the youngsters. He has won at Milwaukee, and his runner-up finish in Las Vegas pushed him over $2 million for the first time in his 17 seasons. Others in the 40-something crowd who have won this year are Nick Price, Loren Roberts, Dan Forsman and Gene Sauers.

"Golf is getting to be a game when you can play well into your 40s," Sluman said

Woods showed a few signs of rust, but they certainly didn't come out on his card. It was his ninth consecutive round in the 60s at Disney, a score that could have been better if not for a bogey on his final hole at the Palm course, and a treasure hunt through the shrubs.

Because the grass was sparse on the 17th tee, tour officials moved the tees up 25 yards on the 397-yard hole.

"Why are we playing the ladies' tees?" Woods joked.

The rest of the hole didn't produce too many giggles.

Trying to cut off the dogleg, Woods hit his ball so far right that he played a provisional in case he couldn't find it. He had no idea that David Duval, playing in the group ahead, also went right and was still waiting on a rule when Woods' ball sailed by.

"It wasn't even close" to hitting him, Woods said. "That's how far right I hit it."

Woods wandered through the bushes before he found his ball under a large shrub. He took a penalty stroke and hit a wedge over the palm trees, over the gallery surrounding the green and to about 12 feet. He missed the putt for what would have been a great par.

"There are days where you kind of slap around and get it in the hole somehow," Woods said. "Other parts of the game are going to be better than others."

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