Golf Roundup : Eagle Finish Gives Burns a 63 and the Lead in Hawaii

George Burns finished off a flawless round with an eagle-3 on the 18th hole Thursday for a nine-under-par 63 and a one-stroke lead over Ed Fiori and Mac O’Grady in the first round of the $500,000 Hawaiian Open golf tournamennt at Honolulu.

With barely a trace of wind over the Waialae Country Club course, the field of 143 professionals and one amateur went on a scoring spree with 116 of them matching or beating par.

Burns, who admitted he has not been putting well, had seven birdies. He made the turn in three-under-par 33. He took command on the back nine with four birdies on the first five holes before completing the nine with the eagle at the 552-yard No. 18 for a 30.

“This is the first time I’ve been in the 60s this year,” Burns said. “My putting has been killing me the past few weeks, and I didn’t feel comfortable out there today, but I just made all my putts in one round.”

Burns hit 17 greens and needed only 26 putts. The one where he missed the green was his eagle hole. His second shot landed in a bunker 17 yards from the hole, but he blasted his next shot into the cup.

Fiori and O’Grady, who were among the late starters, also played their 18 holes without bogeys.

Fiori, who tied for third here last year, started on the back nine and made the turn three under par. He birdied the next three holes and then the final two for his 64.

O’Grady had a chance to tie for the lead but missed a five-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

Mike Reid was in fourth place at 65, with Tony Sills, Chip Beck and Dave Ogrin another stroke behind.

Among the players at 66 were Masters champion Bernhard Langer of West Germany; Fuzzy Zoeller, winner of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am two weeks ago; Corey Pavin, and Craig Stadler.

Senior tour veteran Miller Barber and “rookie” Gary Player each shot four-under-par 68s in cold, blustery weather to share the opening-round lead of the $250,000 PGA Seniors Championship at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Player, competing in his third seniors event since turning 50 in November, and Barber, 54, each had five birdies and one bogey on the PGA National Champion course.

One shot back was Fred Hawkins, who is winless in PGA seniors competition and without a victory of any kind since 1956.

Two-time PGA Seniors champion Arnold Palmer was forced to withdraw from the tournament because of a back injury.