Zoeller & Ahern share opening honours

Fuzzy Zoeller and Jim Ahern shot 6-under 66s and shared a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the JELD-WEN Tradition, the year's final major on the Champions Tour.

Hale Irwin and Graham Marsh had 67s, while six players -- Wayne Levi, Tom Kite, Tom Watson, Bruce Fleisher, David Eger and Morris Hatalsky -- were another stroke back.

Both Zoeller and Ahern had stretches of three straight birdies on the back nine.

Zoeller started his birdie run with a rifle-straight drive down the par-4, 479-yard 10th hole that set up a short approach along the creek that later proved to be trouble for defending champion Jim Thorpe, who had a 69.

Zoeller added birdies on Nos. 15 and 16, both par 5s, after barely breaking par on the front nine of the 7,200-yard Reserve Vineyards Golf Club.

He bogeyed No. 2, a 205-yard par 3 with a long, sloping green that rarely held the ball.

"Some people push the red button when they bogey one of the first couple of holes," Zoeller said. "But heck, I was just getting started."

Ahern was 3 under entering the final three holes when he put together his own string of birdies, smacking a 5-wood 245 yards on the approach to No. 18 to reach the back fringe of the green.

On No. 17, he had landed a perfect 8-iron just 15 feet from the cup.

"I don't normally expect to make 15-footers, but I hit a great putt that just cut right in there," Ahern said.

Irwin also had a string of three birdies, beginning on the 15th hole, but said he was unhappy with his overall play.

"I hit some very, very poor shots out there, but fortunately I got away with them," said Irwin, whose back problems have limited his play.

Irwin, the winningest senior with 37 tour victories, said his back bothered him again Thursday despite steady improvement in his score through a bogey-free round.

"I hit enough nice putts to salvage a very good round," Irwin said. "On paper it looked very good."

Thorpe had led most of the round, topping the leaderboard at 3 under after the front nine, including an eagle on the 337-yard 5th after he lofted a wedge right at the pin.

Thorpe had gone to 6 under by No. 15 before dropping back with a bogey and double-bogey after finding the water on both Nos. 16 and 17.

Thorpe's ball splashed into the water after he just nicked the stone wall rising from the pond guarding the green at No. 16, but he had to drop about 170 yards back to approach again. On the following hole, his tee shot found one of the long creeks that run through the center of the course and he took another penalty stroke.

Jack Nicklaus, a four-time winner of the final major on the Champions Tour, finished at even-par 72.

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