Golf Roundup : Whitworth, Wright 3 Back in Legends

Defending champions Gay Brewer and Billy Casper grabbed the first-round lead in the Legends of Golf at Austin, Tex., Thursday with an eight-under 62 while LPGA Hall of Fame members Kathy Whitworth and Mickey Wright surprised many of their male counterparts with a 65.

“I didn’t think they could do that, to be honest,” former Masters champion Bob Goalby said. “But that’s great.”

“On the first tee I felt like a teen-ager who had never had a golf club in my hand,” said Wright, 50, winner of 82 tournaments during her career. “I was scared to death.

“You just pray you don’t whiff the ball.”

Wright and Whitworth, 45, became the first women to ever compete against men in a PGA sanctioned event and their first-round score was bested by only five teams.

The duos of Roberto DeVicenzo-Ken Still and Charles Sifford-Jim Ferree fired 7-under 63’s in the best-ball tournament -- given credit for touching off golf’s lucrative seniors tour.

Payne Stewart birdied seven holes for a six-under-par 66 and the first-round lead of the $500,000 Houston Open at The Woodlands, Tex.

Stewert’s 32-34 round over the 7,042-yard course gave him a one-stroke lead over Calvin Peete, Mike Nicolette, David Frost and Keith Fergus. Ken Brown and Buddy Garner were at 68.

Of the 156 players who started the tournament, 55 finished below par on the new Tournament Players Course at The Woodlands.

Defending champion Corey Pavin shot a 74 while Bernhard Langer, winner of two straight tournaments, finished at 70.

Judy Clark shot the lowest round on the 1985 LPGA tour, making nine birdies en route to an 8-under-par 64 and a two-stroke lead after the opening round of a $175,000 tournament at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Amy Benz with a 66 is in second place while Janet Coles, Marta Figueras-Dotti, Rosie Jones and Dale Eggeling share third with 67s. Defending champion Vicki Fergon got off to a shaky start with a 77 and Alice Miller, No. 1 on the money list this season, shot a 2-under 70.