The easy part for Steve Lowery was his 5-under 67 that left him one stroke out of the lead in the first round of the Bay Hill Invitational.

The challenge was keeping his blinders on as he walked down the fourth fairway, past his charred and crumbled 5,000-square-foot-home that burned to the ground two weeks ago.

"I made a conscious effort going up No. 4 just to not even look over there," said Lowery, who finished one stroke back of Tim Herron. "It is tough going by there, but we are putting that behind us. I'm just really glad I was able to focus all the way through 18 today."

Not that it was easy. Walking off the third green after Lowery converted the first of six birdies on the day, Colin Montgomerie asked, "Don't you live around here?"

"I said, 'Yeah, my house burned down two weeks ago,"' Lowery said. "He took a look at it and said, 'Well, you'll rebuild it better than it was before."'

Maybe Montgomerie knew what he was talking about.

"With three more 67s, he'll be able to buy him a new one," Montgomerie said.

On a warm and windless day, Herron had a stretch of four straight birdies and took only 24 putts for his round of 66.

"I didn't miss too many," he said.

Dicky Pride, a Bay Hill member who got in on a last-minute sponsor's exemption, was at 68, followed by a large group at 69 that included Honda Classic winner Vijay Singh, Justin Leonard, Tom Lehman and Davis Love III.

Defending champion Ernie Els was at 74, and he wasn't alone. Tiger Woods took a double bogey on the par-5 sixth hole and Mark O'Meara hit three balls in the water to join him at 2-over. Tom Watson had two 8s on his card for an 80.

A member of the Bay Hill Club since 1986, a resident on Arnold Palmer's course since 1990, Lowery discovered that the best way to put the fire out of his mind was to put together his best round of the year.

The 67 was his best score in 31 trips around Bay Hill under tournament conditions.

"I hope that it helps put the fire behind me," he said. "I want to be in here because I'm playing good golf, not because of my problems that have happened."

The problems started Feb. 28 when the a fire broke out in the attic of his $500,000 home. His wife, three children and dog (Bogey) were in the house while Lowery was on the other side of the country in the Tucson Open, trying to win for only the second time in his career.

Lowery tied for 20th, his best showing in a slow start this year, then got word from the PGA Tour that his family was fine, but his house was a total loss.

Among the lost goods was his trophy from the 1994 Sprint International, money clips from the tour that he had saved over the years, and a framed $20 bill signed by Seve Ballesteros that he won during a practice round before the 1988 U.S. Open.

What has helped him get over the shock of losing so many mementos has been the support from just about every corner.

Palmer offered him a guest house at Bay Hill until Lowery and his family found a furnished house to lease while they decide whether to move or rebuild. His church has been bringing meals. Glen Day's wife sent boxes of toys for the children, ages 7, 3 and 1.

Tournament officials from the International are making him a new trophy. Larry Guest, longtime columnist for The Orlando Sentinel, arranged for Ballesteros to sign another $20 bill and then had it framed to present to Lowery on Thursday.

"My wife is a very giving person, and to see people there when we need them has been very good for us," he said.

Pride, another Bay Hill member, missed the cut in Tucson and then tried desperately to reach Lowery when he heard about the fire.

"They've done a great job getting their life back to normal," Pride said.

Perhaps the most encouraging phone call was placed to Raymond Floyd, whose south Florida house burned down in 1992 when he was in San Diego. They talked for about 45 minutes, and Floyd gave him advice on how to put his life back together.

"He said the trophies ... you'll forget about them. Go win some more," Lowery recalled.

Floyd certainly set that example. The Doral Open was his next tournament after the fire, and he won.

DIVOTS: Tim Herron, who goes by the nickname "Lumpy" was asked about his fitness routine. "Since my rookie year, I have pretty much stretched every day. That's kind of my regimen." ... Seve Ballesteros had a 76, despite hitting only three fairways and four greens in regulation. He took 24 putts. ... For the first time in 21 years at Bay Hill, players are going off both tees the first two rounds because rain delays have made it difficult to complete the entire round. ... Among the first off Thursday was Colin Montgomerie, the leading money-winner in Europe a record six straight years but reduced to non-winner status in America. "First time I've done that in ages," Montgomerie said. "The clock went off at 5:30 a.m., pitch black outside." He shot a 71 with 33 putts. ... Arnold Palmer shot a 78.