Golf Roundup : Bean, Jones Beat Texas Wind, Share Abilene Lead at 66

Slumping veteran Andy Bean, who hasn’t won this year, and rookie Steve Jones tamed the West Texas winds in the $400,000 Southwest golf tournament Thursday to share the opening-round lead with six-under-par 66s on the Fairway Oaks course at Abilene.

Bean birdied six consecutive holes and said: “For a while there, I thought I was going to shoot nuthin’. I thought I was going to birdie every hole.”

Bean has six finishes in the top 10 this year and has made the cut in all but 4 of 22 tournaments. His last victory was in the 1984 Greensboro Open.

“The game is fun again,” said Bean, who made birdie putts from as far as 35 feet.

Chasing Bean and Jones, a native of Artesia, N.M., were David Lundstrom and Ben Crenshaw, who posted 67s.

At 68 were Mike Reid, George Archer, Hal Sutton, Steve Elkington, Bill Sander and Dan Pohl.

Gay Brewer and Bob Toski shot opening-round four-under-par 68s to share the lead in the PGA World Seniors Invitational tournament at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte, N.C.

Brewer strung together five birdies and seven pars before being slowed by a bogey on the 13th hole. His early-morning round stood up until Toski’s steady afternoon play challenged for the lead.

Toski, considered one of the nation’s top teaching pros as a staff member for Golf Digest, took the lead at five under par but bogeyed the 17th hole to drop into a tie. Included in Toski’s round was an eagle on the 391-yard 11th hole.