Doyle opens strong, takes early Tradition lead

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, Ariz. -- Allen Doyle, who turned pro at age 47 and has became one of the top players on the Senior PGA Tour, shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Countrywide Tradition.

Five players, including Tom Kite, were one stroke back in the first major championship of the senior season. Four others were two shots off the lead as the seniors tore apart the 3-year-old Prospector Course designed by Jack Nicklaus and son Gary.

"I'm going to guess that they'll kind of see what the greens were today and probably firm them up some," Doyle said. "So it would surprise me if we went out every day and did this."

The tournament moved to Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club on the far eastern outskirts of the Phoenix area from Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, another Nicklaus course where the event spent its first 13 years.

Nicklaus, after withdrawing from the Legends of Golf and the Masters because of a back injury, shot a 1-over 73 on the 7,228-yard course.

Joining Kite at 67 were Don Pooley, Dick Mast, Jim Thorpe and Rocky Thompson. Fuzzy Zoeller, John Jacobs, Bruce Fleisher and Jose Maria Canizares opened with 68s, and defending champion Doug Tewell shot a 71 despite a double-bogey on No. 15th.

GREATER GREENSBORO OPEN: Mark Calcavecchia made three miraculous pars in the middle of his round, then needed just 11 putts over his last 11 holes to shoot a 7-under 65 for the first-day lead in the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic at Greensboro, N.C.

Calcavecchia's bogey-free round at Forest Oaks Country Club was good enough for a one-shot lead over Paul Stankowski. Four others are two shots off the pace, including 1995 winner Jim Gallagher Jr.

A chip in for birdie at No. 8 got Calcavecchia to 2 under. He was then able to dodge disaster on the next three holes before closing strong with five straight birdies on the back nine.

U.S. Amateur champion Bubba Dickersonshot a 1-over 73 in his pro debut. Defending champion Scott Hoch withdrew Thursday because of vision problems related to recent laser surgery.

SPANISH OPEN: Denmark's Soren Hansen and England's David Gilford shot 6-under-par 66s to share the first-round lead in the Spanish Open at Las Palmas, Canary Islands.

Sergio Garcia of Spain had a bogey-free 67, and U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa opened with a 73. Seve Ballesteros shot a 75.

-- From wire reports