Golf Roundup : Fiori, Barr Share Lead in Houston Open

Ed Fiori and Dave Barr each shot a six-under-par 66 Thursday to share the first-round lead in the $600,000 Houston Open golf tournament at The Woodlands, Tex.

Fiori and Barr have a two-stroke advantage over Keith Clearwater, Howard Twitty, Ray Stewart and Perry Arthur.

Twelve players were at 69, including Jay Haas and former British Open winner Bill Rogers. Masters champion Larry Mize was among 14 players at 70.

Fiori, who attended the University of Houston and lives in nearby Sugar Land, birdied the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth holes for a 32 midway through the first round. He then birdied Nos. 13 and 17.

Barr, who has only one victory in 13 years on the tour, had birdies on Nos. 3, 6, 11, 13 and 15. He holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th to pull even with Fiori.

The 7,042-yard Tournament Players Course at The Woodlands CC, designed by Bruce Devlin, did not pose much of a problem to the touring pros. Sixty-three of the 156 players shot par or better.

Bob Charles and Miller Barber teamed to birdie the final three holes en route to a nine-under-par 61 and a share of the lead with Bobby Nichols and Butch Baird in the first round of the $500,000 Legends of Golf tournament at Austin, Tex.

One stroke behind the leaders were Dow Finsterwald and Dale Douglass, followed by the teams of Orville Moody-Bruce Crampton and Jim Ferree-Charlie Sifford at 63.

Two-time defending champions Gene Littler and Don January were at 67.

This year’s Legends tournament includes a $100,000 competition for players 60 and over. Howie Johnson and Jack Fleck shot a 65 to take a one-stroke lead over the teams of Jerry Barber-Doug Ford and Julius Boros-Kel Nagle.