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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Obituaries Weather Archive Hot Topics Forum Photo Gallery Past Readers Polls Revels Etcetera Backpage O-Zone Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Online Games Movie Preview October 6, 2006 Three share lead in Greensboro By Joedy McCreary The Associated Press GREENSBORO, N.C. — John Rollins hasn't been too pleased with his putting, so he spent last weekend with his instructor in Georgia to pick up a few pointers. For the most part, that extra effort is paying off. "He squared me up, got my head centered in my stance and, you know, what that did is kept me more connected through my stroke," Rollins said. Rollins, Brent Geiberger and Nick Watney shared the lead at 8-under 64 after the first round of the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro on Thursday. John Senden, Robert Gamez, Mike Sposa, Tag Ridings, James Driscoll and Charley Hoffman were two strokes back, and defending champion K.J. Choi opened with a 65. Scores were low all day at the 7,333-yard Forest Oaks Country Club, where 68 players finished the first round at 3 under or better. "Sometimes you won't notice a 3 under or something like that out there today, but you have to shoot pretty low to keep up with everybody else," Geiberger said. Rollins had nine birdies in his opening round and could have had the lead to himself if he hadn't stumbled with a bogey on the 17th hole. His overall improved putting was a reflection of the extra time he spent working on it with instructor Mike Shannon in Sea Island, Ga. "I was just learning the game when he was doing it, and spent most of my time preparing this week just on the putting green, around the chipping green," Rollins said. It could have been even better. Rollins' tee shot on the par-3 hole soared past the green. He chipped onto the green, but left his 23-foot par putt an inch shy and then tapped in for his only bogey. "The ones that didn't go in were right on the edge or lipping out," he said. "It's fun to see it rolling on line." Geiberger birdied eight of his final 12 holes in another strong performance at Forest Oaks, the site of his most recent victory on the PGA Tour. He came to Greensboro in 2004 needing a strong performance to finish the season in the top 125 on the money list and secure his full tour card. Geisinger wound up winning with an 18-under 270 total, two strokes ahead of Michael Allen in a win that made him and father Al the first father-son duo to win the same PGA Tour event. Al Geiberger won in 1976. The younger Geiberger entered this year's tournament ranked 144th on the money list and finished the first day with his best opening-round score of the year. "It's very similar to where I was in '04, but I feel with the equipment and the way I'm playing right now, I'd love to start out the year right now, because it'd be a completely different story," Geiberger said. Watney, a fourth-year pro chasing his first PGA Tour victory, had one bogey and nine birdies in matching his career low round. During one stretch, he had three consecutive birdies. "When you see that you're eight behind before you tee off, it's a little bit daunting, but at the same time, you know that there's some good scores out there," Watney said. Ridings was poised to join Geiberger, Rollins and Watney atop the leaderboard. He was at 8 under through 17 before he double-bogeyed the par-4 18th. He failed to land his chip shot from 46 feet away on the green, instead placing it on the fringe 18 feet from the hole. Then, after finally chipping onto the green, he two-putted. Corona Morelia Championship At Morelia, Mexico, Brandie Burton had an eagle 2 on the par-4 first hole and finished with a 5-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over Kelli Kuehne and 18-year-old Morgan Pressel in the windy Corona Morelia Championship. Mexican star Lorena Ochoa was three strokes back after a 71. The 34-year-old Burton, who started play on No. 10, birdied Nos. 15, 17 and 18 to reach 2 under, then bounced in her second shot from 96 yards on the 376-yard first. She added birdies on Nos. 5 and 7, but bogeyed the eighth. Young-A Yang, Julieta Granada, Alena Sharp, Giulia Sergas, Heather Young and Katie Futcher opened with 70s. Defending champion Carin Koch had an eagle and a double bogey en route to an even-par 73. Alfred Dunhill Links Championship At St. Andrews, Scotland, England's Paul Casey shot a 9-under 63 at Kingsbarns to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, strengthening his bid to win the European Order of Merit. The 29-year-old Casey has a $152,000 lead over countryman David Howell, who has a lingering shoulder injury and shot a 75 at Kingsbarns. Wales' Bradley Dredge shot a record 8-under 64 on the newly extended Old Course at St. Andrews. Sweden's Johan Edfors also had a 64 at Kingsbarns. Fiji's Vijay Singh and England's Gary Evans shot 65s at Kingsbarns, and Denmark's Anders Hansen also had a 65 at Carnoustie. Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising Inkjet Printers Student Loans Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Advertisement: Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.