Park holds lead as Wie confronts bees

Jay Haas got off to a fast start in his bid to win consecutive Champions Tour events, shooting a 7-under 65 on Friday for a share of the first-round lead with Des Smyth and Morris Hatalsky in the Administaff Small Business Classic.

The 51-year-old Haas, still active on the US PGA Tour, won the Greater Hickory Classic on Sunday in North Carolina for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour.

Haas, a nine-time winner on the regular PGA Tour who will receive the US Golf Association's 2006 Bob Jones Award for distinguished sportsmanship, had an eagle and five birdies in his bogey-free round on the Augusta Pines course. He eagled the par-5 second hole and played the back nine in 5-under 31 with birdies on Nos. 10-13 and 18.

"It's a relaxed feeling for me," Haas said. "Obviously, I'm playing well so I have an attitude to be patient and let it happen."

Smyth, a two-time winner this year, also had a bogey-free round. He made 35- and 25-foot birdie putts on Nos. 10 and 11.

Hale Irwin was a stroke back along with Brad Bryant, Bobby Wadkins and Mark McNulty, and Mike Sullivan, Danny Edwards, Dave Barr and Gil Morgan opened with 67s.

The 60-year-old Irwin, a four-time winner this year and the tour's career leader with 44, made a 72-foot par putt on the final hole.

Raphael Jacquelin shot his second consecutive 64 to take a three-stroke lead as Spaniard Ivo Giner delighted the home gallery with an 11-under 60.

The 31-year-old Jacquelin, who has had four runner-up finishes but has never won on the European tour, started on the back nine and birdied Nos. 11-14, but took two bogeys on the front, including on the closing ninth, for a 14-under 128 on the 6,967-yard, par-71 Club de Campo course.

England's Gary Emerson matched the French leader's 64 and was three strokes back with Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, who shot 67.

Giner, a former Spanish youth champion from Barcelona, also started on the back. He opened birdie-bogey, added three more birdies before making the turn and then birdied Nos. 2-3, eagled the 518-yard, par-5 fourth and closed with birdies on four of the last five holes.

His only par was at the 384-yard eighth, where his 14-foot birdie attempt was just short.