Jeff Sluman birdied the final three holes to cap a seven-under-par 63 for a one stroke lead after the first round of the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, on Thursday. The 1988 US PGA champion finished ahead of Jim Furyk, Billy Andrade and Kevin Sutherland, each of whom carded 66s.
World number four Phil Mickelson, the 1996 winner, and world number seven Vijay Singh of Fiji are the big names in a group of 11 players who shot 65s. Sluman, 45, had picked up four shots on his first nine at the Cottonwood Valley Golf Club course, which is the shorter of the two venues being used for this week's PGA Tour event.
The primary course is the TPC at Las Colinas, where the competitors will play 54 holes. Of the top four players, only Furyk played Las Colinas on Thursday. Sluman credited a putting lesson over the telephone from fellow tour player Stan Utley as the reason he was able to fashion a low opening round. "I haven't made the putts that you need to make to keep rounds going or to get that one really low round in there," Sluman said.
He added: "And I called Stan a couple of weeks ago, just before New Orleans and took a putting lesson over the phone. It's kind of interesting, but he is the first guy that's ever really been able to explain to me what you actually have to do for a really good putting stroke."
Utley has tutored a number of players, but his work with 49-year-old Jay Haas has received the most publicity.
Filed by Shane Murray
