Golf Roundup : Maryland Pro Picked in Drawing Shares Lead at 66

Webb Heintzelman, a local professional whose name was drawn from a hat to participate in the Kemper Open, Thursday fired a 5-under-par 66 to share the first-round lead with Howard Twitty in the $800,000 tournament at Potomac, Md.

With about 200 friends and family members cheering him in only his second PGA Tour event, Heintzelman shot a bogey-free round on the 6,867-yard Tournament Players Club at Avenel to stand even with Twitty, the 1987 Kemper runner-up.

In cool and wet conditions, Twitty recorded birdies on three of his first four holes en route to a six-birdie, one-bogey round. Heintzelman, 26, an assistant pro at a golf club in nearby Glenn Dale, Md., registered three straight birdies on the front nine to spark his nearly flawless round.

Defending champion Tom Kite, Bobby Clampett, Keith Clearwater and Ken Green were at 67.

Heintzelman, who played collegiately at South Carolina, failed to earn a spot in the Kemper Open in last week’s qualifying tournament. Monday, however, Heintzelman said tournament chairman Ben Brundred “threw three names (of local pros) in a hat and drew my name out” for a sponsor’s exemption. Heintzelman’s only previous PGA Tour event was last year’s Kemper Open, and he failed to make the cut.

Nancy Lopez, taking advantage of a late starting time that gave her good weather for most of her opening round, shot a 4-under-par 68 to take a one-stroke lead in the LPGA Jamie Farr tournament at Toledo, Ohio.

Laura Davies and Janet Coles were tied for second at 69. Jan Stephenson was at 70.