PGA Tournament at Hilton Head Island : Hayes Shoots Record 30 on Way to 64 and 2-Shot Lead : Front-Nine 30 Helps Him Gain Advantage on Five Rivals

Mark Hayes set a course record on the way to a seven-under-par 64 that staked him to a two-stroke lead in Thursday’s first round of the $650,000 Heritage tournament.

Hayes, 37, birdied the first three holes and went on to a six-under-par 30 over the front nine, a record for the Harbour Town Golf Links. The score broke the course record of 31, set by Jack Nicklaus in 1975, and equaled several times since.

“That’s probably the best I’ve played in five or six years,” said Hayes, whose last official PGA Tour win came 10 years ago. “Everything was working together.”

Hayes carded eight birdies, used only 24 putts, and said he could have played better.

“My putting was kind of off and on. I missed two or three putts I should have made,” said Hayes, who was forced to withdraw from the Greater Greensboro Open two weeks ago due to a rib cage injury.

At his home in Oklahoma, a doctor told him he “had a rib out of place,” Hayes said. “He popped it right back in, and I was hitting balls an hour later.”

Although the weather was blustery, with gusty winds and occasional brief showers, scoring was low on the course that winds through woods and marshes down to a lighthouse behind the 18th green.

Five players--former Heritage winner Bernhard Langer of West Germany, veteran Howard Twitty, Scott Hoch, John Cook and Mark Calcavecchia--were tied for second at 66.

South African David Frost and Steve Jones, who got into the field only after Tony Sills withdrew, were next at 67.

Masters champion Larry Mize struggled to a 76 in his first effort since beating Greg Norman in a playoff at Augusta, Ga., last Sunday.

Norman, too, had his problems.

He was two under par for the day until his tee shot hit a tree limb on the 14th hole, dropped down to a cart-path and kicked out of bounds. It led to a double bogey.

“Obviously, the golfing gods still don’t like me,” Norman said after shooting a 72.