Bob Tway leads with record score

Bob Tway shot a tournament record-tying 8-under 64 Thursday for a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Southern Farm Bureau Classic.

Tway, an eight-time PGA Tour winner whose last victory came at the 2003 Bell Canadian Open, matched the first-round scoring record shared by four players in Mississippi's only tour stop. Frank Lickliter was the last to open the event with a 64, in 2000. The SFB Classic's record for a low round is 61, set by Keith Clearwater in 1996.

Jonathan Byrd opened with a 65. Kevin Na, Tom Pernice Jr., Tom Byrum and Bo Van Pelt were two shots back after first-round 66s.

Tway, who started on the back nine, had four straight birdies, starting at No. 3, to get to 9 under at Annandale Golf Club. After a third straight par, the 46-year-old Tway had a chance to break the opening-round record on his last hole, but left a 13-foot par putt 2 inches short.

``I don't think I know the golf course all that well,'' Tway said. ``It's the type of golf course where if you hit it well, the greens are going to stay receptive. They're going to stay soft and each round you can have a chance to make some birdies. ... If you can make a few by getting close enough and and birdie the par-5s, you'll be OK.''

Carl Petterson, whose first PGA Tour victory came at last week's Chrysler Championship, played in Tway's group and said the veteran's finesse was impressive.

``It all seemed very easy,'' Petterson said of Tway.

Byrd had a chance to tie Tway on his final hole, but hit his approach at the par-4 ninth into the bunker left of the green. He chipped to 5 feet and made the par putt.

Byrd, who finished in the top 10 here in 2002 and '04, made a 46-foot birdie putt at No. 14 and a 15-foot eagle putt at No. 18.

``I seem to always play well toward the end of the year. I don't know why that is,'' Byrd said. ``I've played well here in the past, I've got good memories.''

Na predicted a wide gap between the leaders and the middle of the pack because of the chilly conditions facing players with early tee times. The temperature at mid-morning Thursday was in the mid-50s.

``It's only been one day, but I don't believe it's going to be as bunched up as it was last year, just because it's so cold in the morning,'' Na said. ``The first four holes, you're just trying to get by. ... In the afternoon, it's not going to be easy to make a whole lot of putts the first two days.''

The temperatures at Annandale are cooler than usual because the tournament was pushed back four weeks after Hurricane Katrina tore through Mississippi and the other Gulf Coast states in late August. Tournament officials said net proceeds will go toward hurricane relief efforts.

``It is kind of amazing that we are even holding the golf tournament this week,'' Tway said.

Tway, whose clutch birdie on the 72nd hole beat Greg Norman at the 1986 PGA Championship, has missed the cut in four of his last six events.

After his strong start at Annandale, he joked about a possible family rivalry with 17-year-old son Kevin, who won the U.S. Junior Amateur in July.

``His was a huge win, bigger than any win I've ever had,'' Tway said. ``I'd love to win a golf tournament before the year's over.''

Ryan Palmer, who finished 21 under, second to Fred Funk last year, had two birdies and three bogeys and was 1 over. Funk didn't return to defend his title. Instead, he's playing in the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

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