For Rich Beem, Truth or Consequences is a place to play golf, not a television show. And, until this week, he thought of the Kemper Open as a television show, not as a place for him to play golf.

But now Beem is here, having survived the small tournaments of New Mexico and west Texas and the PGA Tour's qualifying school to make his first trip to the nation's capital.

And he's in the lead.

"It was a lot of fun,'' Beem said after his first-round 66 today. "I got a little bit nervous in between some shots, but I just kind of kept my focus. I know this is only one day. I am sure if I am in the same situation come Sunday I will probably get a little more tense out there.''

Beem, who has a one-stroke lead over Corey Pavin, Brian Watts and Bill Glasson, has the distinction of having the shortest biography in the PGA Tour's media guide.

The 28-year-old El Paso, Texas, resident who never played a PGA Tour event or even a Nike Tour event before this year. He's had only one practice round at the Kemper's TPC at Avenel course, but he said felt somewhat familiar with it because he's watched the tournament on television.

"That is how I remember them, 17 and 18, 16, 15, 14, 13, I remember all of them," Beem said. "It is neat coming to tournaments and seeing the fairways (in person).''

Beem, whose father is the golf coach at New Mexico State, got a spot the PGA Tour when he shot a final-round 66 to finish ninth at the qualifying school. That capped a year of modest success in the Sun Country PGA Section, where he remembers doing well in a Pro-Am in Truth or Consequences, N.M., and got his all-time biggest winner's paycheck -- $5,000 and a "nice crystal bowl" -- for capturing the Hilton Open in Socorro, N.M.

Until Today, Beem's debut year on the tour wasn't anything to brag about. He has missed seven of 11 cuts, including five in a row, and has made $24,590 -- $410 less than he made in the one shining moment at qualifying school.

"This is different," said Beem, sitting in the plush green chair reserved for those who finish near the top of the leaderboard. "I'm used to having a little stool to sit on. I usually just sit around and say bad things about my round."

Swirling winds and new, slower grass on the fairways made for erratic rounds at the TPC at Avenel course, and Beem's was no exception. He went 20 yards into the woods with his tee shot at the par-3 third and bogeyed, but then recovered to birdie two of the next three holes.

Earlier, starting on the back nine, he found the hazard at the 14th, the easiest hole on the course, but he saved par with a 6-foot putt.

"All of a sudden thoughts started creeping back into my head -- not another round like this, start off well and have it go to waste,'' Beem said. "I just got strong.''

Pavin, close to regaining the form that made him one of the best in the world for the first half of the decade, sank a 25-foot birdie putt at No. 18 to finish tied for second.

"I won't say I am there yet, but this is the best I've felt on the course since probably the 1996 Colonial,'' said Pavin, referring to his last PGA Tour victory -- and his only one since winning the 1995 U.S. Open. "I know I still have a ways to go."

The field boasts all the majors winners from last year and a decent crop from the top of this year's money list. Justin Leonard, who won here two years ago, was three strokes off the lead, and Mark O'Meara was another shot back.

But Pavin had the best day among the big names, and that hasn't happened much in the last three years. Pavin's swing went sour in 1996, and it's taken him this long to fix it. He's already had two top-10 finishes this year, matching his 1998 total and doubling his total from 1997.

"I got to the point I was beating my brains out," Pavin said. "But I didn't think it was for nothing. It was certainly frustrating. I just had to keep at it and plugging away and I knew finally it would turn around."

As for Beem, one of his goals is to win enough money to upgrade the sound system in his sports utility vehicle. But, while he likes cars, he doesn't want to have to sleep in one again, as he had to do when playing some of those minor events.

"I don't ever want to do that again," Beem said. "Even if I go absolutely broke and I don't make another cut, I am going to have fun."