Free at last to enter and leave the United States as he pleases, Stephen Ames says he is ready to start making some real money again on the PGA Tour.

The 6-under-par 65 he shot Thursday during the first round of the Buick Classic was a good start. He led Frank Nobilo by one stroke and Jim Carter by two.

This was just Ames' third PGA appearance since he lost his visa to enter the United States last year and missed six months of competitive golf. Ames said he is only starting to shake off some of the rust that accumulated during a long, cold winter at his home in Canada.

"I was practicing indoors, hitting balls inside, trying to keep myself fit," he said. "But playing indoors and playing out here in the sunlight and on grass is a completely different atmosphere."

Ames made $357,859 on the PGA Tour in 1998, 83rd on the money list, and had seven top-25 finishes. But the 35-year-old native of Trinidad had not played in a tournament of any kind since last November's Australian Open while waiting for his visa problems to be solved.

Ames' lawyer finally secured his visa to re-enter the United States in time for the Kemper Open in late May. Ames played, even though his wife Jodi gave birth that weekend to the couple's second child.

"I wanted to get started," Ames said. ``I got permission (from his wife), put it that way."

Ames made the cut in the Kemper and the St. Jude Classic in June, but finished well back both weeks. To date, he's won only $12,800.

"The hardest thing, of course, was basically to get the mind back into it," he said. "I think that was tough the first two weeks that I have played. This week was a little easier."

Ames made birdie putts of between 6 and 12 feet on Nos. 2, 3, 8, 9, 13 and 14 and a 3-footer on the par-3 16th. His lone bogey came on the par-4 11th hole when his drive found trees right of the fairway.

He also saved par from sand traps on the ninth, 17th and 18th holes.

Ames was a two-time winner from 1993-97 on the European PGA tour, where he was forced to play after his visa problems began in 1992. While trying to enter the United States from Canada that year, he told immigration officials he was an American citizen. He later acknowledged misrepresenting himself.

Since the Kemper, Ames has left and entered the United States twice without incident and said his visa problems appear to be over.

Nobilo's 66 was his best round of a shaky year in which he has missed the cut in seven of 14 tournaments. His best finish was 23rd in the Bay Hill Invitational in March.

He said he believes he is finally getting over a disastrous two-year stretch during which he battled shoulder and wrist injuries and received a 30-stitch cut in the forehead when he was hit by a golf ball.

Nobilo's round was highlighted by birdie putts of 20 feet or more on Nos. 3, 10, 15 and 16.

"I'm ecstatic," Nobilo said.

Carter's 67 was set up by several precise iron shots. It started at the par-4 seventh hole when he nearly holed a sand wedge.

"I hit it in there about 5 inches, which is really makeable," said Carter, who turned 38 Thursday. "Love to see those."

He made a 2-footer for birdie on No. 9 and an even shorter putt for birdie on No. 10. On the tough par-4 11th, Carter drilled a 3-iron from 202 yards to within 4 inches of the cup. He parred the rest of the way.

Jay Haas and Steve Pate were among a group at 3-under 68.