MCI Classic
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island
South Carolina
16th - 19th April 1998

Par 71 Prize Money $1.9 million

First Round Report

First Round Scores

Haas. Huston and Tewell tie for first round lead

Hilton Head Island, S.C. 16th April 1998 - One by one, the players who gave The Masters a thrilling Sunday duel had trouble getting around Harbour Town Golf Links -- if they were here at all.

Jay Haas and John Huston, both way back of Masters winner Mark O'Meara last week, were tied for the MCI lead at 66 with Doug Tewell, who entered the Nike Tour's Shreveport Open a week ago just to get some practice.

Nick Price, the defending MCI champion who has more bad things than good to say about Augusta National, was next at 67 with Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Glen Day, Frank Lickliter and Kelly Gibson.

"I promised myself as I drove down Magnolia Lane, all I could think about was spending last weekend with my kids and fishing,'' said Price, who missed the cut at The Masters. "I've forgotten about it for next year already.''

It took until Mickelson to find someone who actually made Sunday's telecast.

O'Meara's curling putt on the 18th green last Sunday gave him his first major championship, while the gallery waited for a playoff with Fred Couples and David Duval that never came.

At Harbour Town, O'Meara was cheered everywhere he went, even for bad shots, and stood four strokes behind at 70.

"Today was a little bit tough,'' he said. "You could feel a little bit of letdown coming on. But I hung in there pretty well and hit a relatively decent score.''

Other Masters hopefuls had their share of trouble. Paul Azinger, Fuzzy Zoeller and Justin Leonard shot 71s. Jim Furyk, fourth last week, was 2-over at 73.

Some who lit up the Georgia pines on the memorable final day didn't tempt fate in the MCI, where no wearer of the green jacket has won the tartan coat given here since Bernhard Langer 13 years ago.

Couples skipped Harbour Town for the third consecutive year, while Woods has missed it both his seasons. Duval and Colin Montgomerie pulled out earlier this week.

Price knows that everyone who plays well in a major wants to carry the momentum into next week, but "you're so exhausted,'' he said.

Haas met his wife, Janice, at this tournament in 1977, and maybe some of that magic carried into the back nine, where he birdied five of seven holes to go to 6-under. But his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole found the bunker and led to a bogey.

"I've played well for the last few weeks,'' he said. "It's very encouraging to have a streak like this that lasts more than 27 holes.''

Huston, who set a PGA Tour record by shooting 28-under par en route to winning the Hawaiian Open two months ago, made four birdies on the front nine and briefly was at 6-under before a bogey on No. 17 set him back.

Tewell won at Harbour Town in 1980, but has had only two top-10 finishes in 16 appearances since.

At 48, Tewell realizes his future is on the Senior PGA Tour and, with the past champion's exemption, planned to hone his game. Instead, he finished with birdies on the 15th and 17th holes for his first tournament lead since the Memphis in 1989.

Price's round was his tournament-record eighth in a row under 70.