Fleisher leads after opening round of 62

Bruce Fleisher made four straight birdies on the front nine and eight overall as he shot a bogey-free, tournament-record 62 on Friday for the first-round lead in the Champions Tour's Long Island Classic.

Fleisher, who won the event in 1999 and 2000, holds a two-shot lead over Bob Gilder, who was also was bogey-free with a 64.

Vicente Fernandez followed with a 65, while Rodger Davis, Seiji Ebihara, John Bland, Des Smyth and Gary Koch each shot 66.

The tournament had been held at the nearby Meadow Brook Club in Jericho, N.Y., for the past 15 years before switching to the par-70, 6,797-yard Eisenhower Park Red Course, a public facility.

"I didn't know what to expect," said Fleisher, eighth in earnings with $924,777 in 20 events. "This is the first time I played here, but today was my day. I was flying right out of the box with that par 4 on the opening hole. Then I made four straight birdies and I said to myself, `How did I do that?"'

Fleisher, in his fifth year on the Champions Tour, has 16 victories. On the regular PGA Tour, he only had one win in 408 events from 1969-98.

"This is a tough course, but it's in great shape," said Fleisher, who was paired with Lee Trevino and Craig Stadler. "Just look at the good scores. The fairways and greens are soft enough to hold your shots.

"Playing with Trevino is a pleasure because of what he means to golf. Lee doesn't play a great deal any more so his game is rusty and he likes to entertain the gallery. I don't let myself get caught up in his antics."

The $1.5 million tournament, which offers a top prize of $225,000, concludes Sunday. Defending champion Hubert Green withdrew because he's undergoing treatment for tongue and throat cancer.

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