Tom Lehman admits it. When he got to 9-under after 14 holes of the FedEx St. Jude Classic, he thought about shooting a sub-60 round.

"Actually, I did. I thought, 'I''m hitting the ball pretty well. With four holes to play, I can make three birdies,' " he said.

Instead, he made par the next three holes and took his only bogey on the final hole to end up with an 8-under 63 today and a tie for the first-round lead with Hal Sutton and David Frost.

"I hit a good shot on my 15th hole. I hit a good shot on my 16th hole and I hit a good shot on my 17th hole," Lehman said. "I just could not get the ball in the hole.''

Three players have shot 59s on the PGA Tour. Al Geiberger did it in 1977 when the St. Jude was called the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, Chip Beck matched the feat in the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational, and David Duval did it this year in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

"I thought about it on the (15th) tee, and didn't really think about it again until I missed the putt" on the 15th, said Lehman, who has not won a PGA Tour event since 1996.

"But 59s just seem to happen. The more you think about it and the more you push for it ... that's when you get out of what's gotten you to the point where you can shoot 59. When that thought pops in, it's better to let it pop right out."

Defending St. Jude champion Nick Price, Clarence Rose, Jimmy Green and Phil Blackmar were one shot off the lead. Curtis Strange was in a group two strokes behind and 1997 champion Greg Norman and Paul Azinger were three shots back.

Sergio Garcia, the 19-year-old Spanish prodigy, was forced to withdraw and underwent minor surgery when an abscess developed above his left eye. He is expected to recover in time to play the Irish Open next month.

Sutton, who has resurrected his career in the last two years, used terrific iron play in a bogey-free round.

"I hit a lot of really good iron shots today and hit the ball close most of the day, so that's why I was able to make a lot of birdies," he said.

Frost, frustrated by his recent lackluster play, said he wasn't sure he would even enter the St. Jude until a couple of days before the tournament. He arrived Wednesday night and teed off at 7:42 a.m. today.

He joked that preparation was the key to his low round of the year. Actually, it was his short game. He holed a 25-foot wedge shot on the 10th hole and made several birdie putts of 10 feet or more, including a 25-footer on 17.

"A lot of guys, their long game keeps them alive. But I prefer having a short game keep me alive, because the older you get, the more that part of the game leaves you behind," he said.

With the temperature in the low-to-mid 90s this week and sun shining brightly, the greens at the Tournament Players Club at Southwind have been heavily watered, leaving them soft and allowing the players to aim for the flags.

"I'd like to see the greens a little firmer, but I don't think the (groundskeeper) can do anything about it because of this heat," Price said. "He could lose his greens if he cuts them down too much and doesn't water them."

Price always plays well at St. Jude. He has won the tournament twice -- the other time was in 1993 -- and has shot 14 consecutive sub-par rounds at TPC at Southwind.

He has had an incredible run on the par-5 16th. He had three eagles on it last year, and with his birdie today has now eagled or made birdie 10 times in a row.

"That hole has been awfully good to me," Price said.

AP